THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015 SPORTS Scotland desperate to end losing streak LONDON: Scotland arrive at what will be Machan and Yorkshire seamer Iain their third World Cup desperate for a Wardlaw to be included in the 15-man maiden tournament victory after eight party. The backroom staff is even more defeats combined at the 1999 and 2007 cosmopolitan with head coach Grant editions. For a non-Test nation, the Scots’ Bradburn, a former New Zealand Test World Cup record may not seem that sur- cricketer, assisted by ex-England all- prising but the fact they bowed out of rounder Paul Collingwood. the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean Both Bradburn and Collingwood will with a crushing eight-wicket defeat by be looking to defeat their native coun- fellow associate country the Netherlands tries, with New Zealand, the tournament tells its own story. co-hosts, and England the Scots’ opening For many years Scotland were regard- two pool opponents. ed as one of the premier non-Test Collingwood, still playing county nations, supplying an England captain in cricket for Durham, has forged a reputa- the late Mike Denness during the 1970s tion as a tough, competitive professional and county stalwarts such as Essex’s and has been helping Scotland with the Brian Hardie. However, recently they’ve mental side of their game in particular. “I had to look on enviously as Ireland, the always felt in the past that if you got on Netherlands and Afghanistan have all top of Scotland, then there was no fight,” shone on the world stage, with said Collingwood. “I was just being hon- Bangladesh making the transition from est and allowing them to come up with a associate to Test status. brand of cricket that they wanted to play. “We’ve underachieved over the last Grasping that has been an important five to ten years,” Scotland all-rounder step forward for them.” Calum MacLeod told the CricInfo web- Collingwood, renowned for his field- site. “We need to beat some Full ing skills, added: “Scotland’s fielding is KABUL: An Afghan singer performs during a farewell ceremony at Kabul cricket academy, in Kabul. The team is scheduled to leave for Australia Members (Test nations). If we manage to world-class and it’s an area where we tomorrow and will start their World Cup campaign with a warm-up match against India on Feb 10th. — AP do that then the exposure of the game should shine in Australia and New will increase,” he added, conscious of Zealand.” But there is only so much how such victories have been a catalyst coaches can do and the way Scotland Afghanistan look to repeat for the growth of Irish cricket. suffered an eight-wicket defeat by Scotland’s squad for the World Cup Afghanistan in the opening match of the features seasoned Northamptonshire recent associate warm-up series in the the Ireland shock factor batsman Kyle Coetzer while a change in UAE would have been a concern. qualification regulations, which allows Scotland though later beat their fellow KARACHI: Afghanistan hope to follow the World about results in the World Cup in Australia and last year. It was their first win in 10 one-day inter- British passport holders with Scottish minnows by 150 runs in Abu Dhabi, a Cup giant-killing blueprint drawn up by fellow New Zealand where they will face both co-hosts nationals against a Test-playing nation. parentage to play for them, has paved heartening result for skipper Preston outsiders Ireland when they make their debut at as well as Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and But like most of the Asian and Associates the way for the likes of Leicestershire all- Mommsen’s side ahead of the countries’ the game’s showpiece tournament. Scotland in the group stages. teams, batting on bouncy Australian pitches and rounder Rob Taylor, Sussex batsman Matt World Cup pool clash in Dunedin. — AFP Ireland defeated mighty Pakistan to reach the “I have faith in them. The way they are invest- coping with swing in New Zealand will be the Super Eights stage at the 2007 World Cup in the ing money, the Afghanistan team will beat top main challenge. Caribbean before defeating England in a high- teams in the next five years,” said Latif. Afghanistan’s batsmen know one way of bat- Ireland target more scoring match in the 2011 tournament in India. But he also cautioned: “I don’t want them to ting-to attack. “The biggest challenge is going to “My wish would be to emulate what Ireland go down like Kenya.” The African nation reached be how the batsmen handle the quicker have done in the last couple of World Cups. They the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup but their bowlers. Playing in Australia is going to be quite shocks, Test status have caused shocks by playing positive, enter- fall from grace led them to losing their one-day brutal for some of these guys who aren’t used to taining cricket,” said Andy Moles, who replaced international credentials.”For me they should those conditions,” said Moles. LONDON: It is a measure of Ireland’s suc- doubt, saying the ICC “should be making former Pakistan paceman Kabir Khan as gain more and more experience and with that “I will work hard to get them as much confi- Afghanistan coach in September last year. learn to play better after the World Cup. dence as possible, to play without fear of failure cess at the last two World Cups that it will it a priority”. It was Kabir who lifted the nascent cricket “I want them to play in a manner that if the and, if they see an opportunity at any stage in a no longer count as a stunning shock if Unfortunately for Ireland, they lack nation from division five in 2008 to narrowly kids are watching on television back home they game, to take it. they defeat a Test nation in Australia and the political clout that saw Bangladesh missing out on a berth in the 2011 World Cup. will feel proud of them.” With two channels “I’d like them to enjoy the challenge that lies New Zealand. become a Test country and the rest of Another former Pakistani international, pledging live coverage, Afghanistan will begin ahead of them.” With experienced players like Whether it was knocking Pakistan out the world game, having seen how the Rashid Latif, then helped Afghanistan reach the their maiden World Cup campaign against Nowroz Mangal, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah of the 2007 edition in the Caribbean or Tigers have struggled since, are in no the 2010 World Twenty20 and take the silver Bangladesh in Canberra on February 18. Shinwari, Najibullah Zadran, Shapoor Zadran seeing Kevin O’Brien produce the fastest- hurry to make the Irish a permanent medal at the 2010 Asian Games in China. Afghanistan will take heart from their shock and Hamid Hasan, Afghanistan will hope they ever World Cup century in a memorable member of the elite. Latif believes Afghanistan should not worry win over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup in Dhaka can show their talent in the big league. — -AFP victory over England in Bangalore four Meanwhile the Irish players soldier on years ago, the game’s elite have learnt to in the hope another World Cup scalp will respect the men in green. aid their quest for Test status, with the “The Irish have got a good structure West Indies, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe pack up their and good facilities,” former England all- India, Pakistan and the United Arab rounder Paul Collingwood, now a mem- Emirates in their sights. ber of Scotland’s backroom staff, told the Experienced campaigners William ICC website. Porterfield and brothers Kevin and Niall problems at World Cup “They’re always a well-drilled unit and O’Brien are at the heart of an experi- a lot of their players have got county enced squad coached by former West experience so you know they’re going to Indies batsman Phil Simmons. JOHANNESBURG: If they are to reach the World Cup cause teams problems. The trio, along with Ed Joyce and John quarter-finals, Zimbabwe will need to beat Ireland and “The win against England in 2011 was Mooney, will be playing at their third the UAE, the non-Test nations in Pool B, and find a way huge. It will be their goal to have an Irish World Cup while the 15-man squad also to defeat at least one of India, South Africa, Pakistan Test team to keep hold of the players includes several tournament debutants and the West Indies. It shapes as a tough but not impossible task and that have come over to England to do in Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, the Zimbabweans will have been encouraged by the that,” he added. Andrew McBrine, Stuart Thompson, and dismal form of the West Indies during their series in And therein lies the problem for Craig Young, although Middlesex pace- South Africa. Ireland. Their plight is summed-up by the man Tim Murtagh has been ruled out For a small cricketing country, Zimbabwe have fact the best Irish batsman of his genera- through injury occasionally punched above their weight at World tion, Eoin Morgan, won’t be playing for “We’ve produced some wonderful Cups, most notably when they defeated Australia in his native country at the World Cup but performances over the years in World their first appearance in the tournament in 1983 when will, in fact, be captaining England Cups, and there’s no reason why we can’t they were still an associate nation.