Matthew Cross insists Scotland have nothing to fear as they look to make the perfect start to their World Cup qualification bid.
The Saltires face Ireland at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, this morning (8am) in their opening match of the two-stage qualifier.
To reach October’s tournament in India, Scotland will need to finish in the top-three in their initial five-team group and then finish in the top-two in the Super Six phase.
Ahead of the campaign getting under way, vice-captain Cross is confident.
The Aberdonian, who started his career with Aberdeenshire Cricket Club, said: “I hope everyone is expecting us to qualify – that’s definitely our expectation.
“We came here five years ago and played really well, were a bit unlucky maybe at times, we showed what we’re about.
“Since that tournament, we’ve gone on to play well in T20 World Cups and taken down some big teams.
“There’s no fear factor about who’s here and we know we’re capable of beating every team here.”
Near-miss last time
The qualifier for the last 50-over World Cup was also in Zimbabwe five years ago and Scotland missed out in agonising fashion.
They were on course to beat West Indies, which would have seen them qualify, before rain intervened and they lost out on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) by five runs.
A controversial LBW against Richie Berrington – which couldn’t be appealed – tipped the balance in the Windies’ favour on DLS, which only added to Scotland’s disappointment.
Cross was in that team, but doesn’t reflect on their near miss with any bitterness.
He added: “It shows the level we can play at, (and) in the last four or five years we’ve beaten every team here.
“Ultimately it’s about us turning up and doing the job. I don’t think there’s any animosity from what happened five years ago.
“We’re in a really good space and looking to show up and qualify for the World Cup.”
📋 The full scorecard from our warm-up defeat to @ZimCricketv ⬇️#FollowScotland pic.twitter.com/Me7j3XnCOw
— Cricket Scotland (@CricketScotland) June 15, 2023
Scotland have played two warm-up games ahead of the World Cup qualifier – losing to the West Indies by 91 runs and by six wickets to Zimbabwe, having been bowled out on both occasions.
However, Cross is confident the Saltires can handle the conditions.
He said: “There’s a lot of teams looking to bowl first with the potential for swing and movement early on.
“But once that’s been weathered, guys have looked comfortable.
“Throughout the day there’s opportunities for guys to get big runs and opportunities for bowlers to get wickets.”
After the Ireland clash, Scotland face United Arab Emirates on Friday, Oman on Sunday and Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
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