Scotland’s cricket coach, Grant Bradburn, has conceded that choosing the squad to face England at the Grange next Sunday had been his “toughest selection” to date.
But he and his colleagues have opted for experience in recalling the former captain, Preston Mommsen, to their 15-man group for the Scots’ only home ODI of the summer.
They have also picked a crop of north-east talent, with captain Kyle Coetzer being joined by Michael Leask and Matthew Cross, with all three players likely to feature in the starting XI in Edinburgh.
The Scots have never beaten their traditional rivals on the ODI stage, although they have produced some creditable displays during the last decade. And there is enough talent sprinkled in their ranks for them to pose a genuine threat to England, despite the latter being the No 1 ranked ODI team in the world.
Bradburn said: “This has been our toughest squad to select to date, in terms of having so many players knocking at the door with strong performances.
“Quality players have missed selection and are gutted not to feature this time, which is a strong sign of the depth that is evident through the new regional structure and the Performance Academy.”
Coetzer, 34, is determined his men demonstrate the same fearless commitment to attacking cricket which earned them plaudits at the World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe earlier this year.
He appreciates England will travel as favourites, even without the injured Ben Stokes and the occasionally flaky form of Eoin Morgan’s troops.
Yet Scotland have plenty of quality batsmen at their disposal, including Coetzer, Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, the in-form Dylan Budge, Michael Jones and Mommsen, who has returned to the ranks after retiring from the international circuit in 2016 at the age of just 29.
Coetzer also has plenty of pace bowling options, with Safyaan Sharif, Alasdair Evans, Brad Wheal and Stuart Whittingham a potent quartet.
The biggest problem for the hosts will be their lack of elite cricket since the start of the summer. But now, with the England contest being followed by two T20s against Pakistan on June 12 and 13 and a Tri-Series with the Netherlands and Ireland, their biggest week of the season beckons.
They believe they can make a powerful statement in arguing their case for ICC Full Member status.
That means victories; not hard-luck stories or near-misses. We’ve had enough of them in the past.
