Shane Burger accepted the challenges involved with being Scotland cricket head coach when he took the job. The T20 World Cup campaign provided the latest round of them.
After the defeat to Zimbabwe eliminated Scotland from the competition, Burger has had time to reflect on the successes and pitfalls of the nation’s three-game stay in the tournament.
A superb win over the West Indies was followed up by two defeats, where marginal decisions or improvements could have had Scotland competing in the Super 12s again rather than flying home from their Hobart base.
The need for more cricket is obvious. Scotland had a chronic lack of T20 preparation coming into the World Cup, with just one warm-up fixture.
Ultimately finance dictates the amount of cricket Scotland play, given the smaller resources they have to work with compared to other nations.
New Cricket Scotland chair Anjan Luthra has discussed a return to the English county scene, where Scotland had a team in limited-overs competition between 2003 and 2013, as a way of exposing their players to more regular action.
“The obvious area to improve is having more cricket,” said Burger. “When you’re put in those pressure situations – for example, the Irish run chase – more often would allow us to win more of those games.
“Our preparations weren’t ideal, having to deal with the weather, but it was the same for the other teams. I guess in the heat of the moment, we need to make sure our skill execution is better.
“We’ve never played enough cricket and it’s easy to use that as an excuse. Given better opportunities and resources, you can probably expect more consistency and better results, as we’ve seen with Ireland and Netherlands recently.
“You’re only going to get better playing against the best teams and that’s something we’ve been crying out for. But at the same time, we know we should have got over the line in the Ireland game and thrown more punches in the Zimbabwe game.
“It’s all finances; to play big full-member nations your resources have to increase massively. Money isn’t always the answer but in this instance, to get more fixtures its going to require more money.”
Team selection has been a subject of intense debate online, with former players and fans querying the decision to name an unchanged line-up for all three fixtures.
Hamza Tahir and Chris Sole were two players highlighted as potential inclusions, with Burger saying he welcomes discussion about who should take the field in a Scotland jersey.
“Everybody will have their own opinions and I guess when you’re the coach, people feel they have the right to question selections and give their opinions, which I think is good,” said Burger.
As I reflect back on the last few weeks I want to make special mention to the support staff that have worked tirelessly and passionately! some were not with us but I thank them for their efforts with this group and keep raising the bar! #inspire #webelong @CricketScotland pic.twitter.com/tXZJuZeAnS
— Shane Burger (@Shane9Burger) October 22, 2022
“People taking an interest and wanting to give their opinions is fantastic. I’ve always encouraged that sort of thing.
“In a three-game series, in the space of five days, it’s tough to make changes and we still believe we made the right calls. But we had 15 guys there who could have made the difference, otherwise, we wouldn’t have taken them to the World Cup.
“You have four guys who are disappointed to miss out on a game of cricket and so they should be. If we executed better, we would have won three games of cricket and I suppose no one questions selections.”
The challenge of World Cup qualification
Next on the agenda for Scotland is the latest round of Cricket World Cup League fixtures in December, effectively the semi-final stage of qualification for the main tournament.
Burger’s men are in pole position to advance to the final round but then the process gets more convoluted; a 10-team knock-out tournament will take place in Zimbabwe next year, where four of the entrants will be made up of full-member nations. Only two sides will join the top eight nations at the World Cup in India in autumn 2023.
Scotland’s one-day captain, Aberdonian Kyle Coetzer, has been vocal in urging the International Cricket Council to expand the World Cup beyond 10 teams, pointing to victories by associate nations at the T20 World Cup.
“Every game is a must-win game and it’s something we’ve got used to,” said Burger. “Everyone wants to be at a 50-over World Cup, including myself as a coach.
“We’ve got a few fresh faces in the squad and we’ve got a duty to make sure the next generation of Scottish cricketer is coming through.
“We’re not privy to those conversations and how they (ICC) see the global game expanding. All we can do is control what we can in our environment and when we get the opportunity to perform, we do that.
“I knew there were going to be massive challenges when I took the job and it’s something I look forward to. We’re not expecting an easy ride and we want to keep showing the world what we’re about.
“We hope the powers-that-be allow nations like ourselves and many others to keep putting our best foot forward.”
Shaping a better future for Cricket Scotland
It has been a jarring and tumultuous 12 months off the field for Cricket Scotland, with the organisation found to be institutionally racist by an independent review. Following the report’s publication, the board resigned en masse.
Luthra was brought in as the new chair last month and while Burger’s dealings with him so far have been brief, the mood is positive.
Arriving in Hobart shortly to support the team. Looking forward to meeting with all stakeholders over the next few days. Let’s learn and make things happen 💪🏾🚀 https://t.co/mE5z9xgw9T
— Anjan Luthra (@anjan_luthra) October 18, 2022
There are steps being taken to make the game more inclusive, with a partnership with the South Asian Cricket Academy forged to increase opportunities for players from British South Asian backgrounds. There are also open trials for the Scotland under-19 team due to take place this month.
“All we can hope for as an organisation is that everyone gets the opportunity to put the badge on,” added Burger. “Whether they come from a certain ethnic background or a certain class.
“We really hope that any young boy or girl that wants to put the badge on is encouraged by what they’ve seen from the team recently, through performances and how people carry themselves on and off the field.
“I met Anjan for 15-20 minutes in Australia and he comes across as a very bubbly, energetic character. He has very good ideas and the right motivation to take on the job.
“The organisation has been through it’s rough patches and I hope people can come in and commit to really take things on, leaving it in a better place.
“I don’t want to get out of my lane, in terms of what’s happening higher up, but I just hope the people who are involved are moving the sport in the right direction.
“I’m a key stakeholder in that because I’ve got to get performances out of the men’s national team. I hope it inspires people to want to be part of that environment.”
Burger is approaching four years in the job and while he stresses his enjoyment of the role remains, no coach can remain in situ indeterminately.
“I enjoy every single day and as long as I can keep impacting people’s lives, that’s what I’m about,” he said.
“No doubt at some point the journey will end – I don’t think it’s healthy for a coach or organisation to be in a position where you have the same coach for too long a period of time.
“The key for me as a young coach is developing. I want to keep getting better. I’m not scared to say that if given the opportunity to do that, I would take it.”
