New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) Scotland batter Finlay McCreath said he tried to remain calm and focused on training as uncertainty swirled around whether his team would replace Bangladesh at the Men’s T20 World Cup, starting on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.
Scotland eventually secured their place by replacing Bangladesh in the tournament’s main draw due to the latter not agreeing to travel to India due to security reasons. That last-minute entry into the mega event earned the Associate nation a fifth consecutive appearance at the Men’s T20 World Cup.
“Definitely a lot of emotions. A lot of uncertainty was probably the main one. A lot of rumours were flying around on social media. So the emotions were a lot of uncertainty, as we didn’t really know what was going on all the time. But I was trying to stay as calm and as neutral as possible and not sort of expect too much.
“We were still training at the time. So just kind of focusing and trying to be as ready as possible. If the call did come, we would come to the World Cup. So, just trying to stay calm and see what would really happen,” McCreath told IANS in a virtual interaction from Bengaluru ahead of the tournament.
When the news eventually came of Scotland getting a late entry to the T20 World Cup, joy surrounded McCreath and his family. “I was just at home. We had a message that selection was being made that day. So just waiting on the call, really. Not too many expectations, just waiting to find out the news and then managed to tell my family and I spent the night with them, which was awesome.
“They’re really happy and pleased and it was a very proud moment for me, receiving the call up for my first World Cup. It’s obviously a dream. Once you start playing, competitions like this, and big occasions are what you dream about. I mean, receiving the news was pretty surreal. A big moment for me in my career. But now I’m here, it’s just back to my processes, training hard and just trying to improve and be ready for the start of the tournament.”
Scotland’s qualification for a fifth straight T20 World Cup is a testament to the team’s consistency in the shortest format, with McCreath crediting the squad’s ability to rise to big occasions. “I mean, there’s a couple of lads in the squad that are there and they’ve given us a bit of insight into when they were there. It’s credit to the team over the years just to be consistent in this format of the game.
“We’ve got some exceptional players that enjoy the big occasion and enjoy putting their hand up when we need them as a team. I think that helps with the consistency and at these big tournaments, we feel like we have the players that step up and enjoy the challenge,” he added.
After playing warm-up games in Bengaluru, Scotland will play three league games against West Indies, Italy, and England on February 7, 9 and 14 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata before taking on Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 17.
McCreath, 27, will look to draw on his experience of playing for Scotland in the 2016 Men’s Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh as they prepare to face largely alien subcontinental conditions in India.
In that tournament, McCreath made 127 runs in six innings and even won the Player of the Match award for hitting an unbeaten 68 and taking three wickets in a 13th Place Play-off Semi-Final against Fiji at Cox’s Bazar.
“It seems like a long, long time ago, but I was there and that was an amazing opportunity. From what I can remember, conditions were good, and were challenging. I played on some really good wickets. So it’s nice for myself as a batter to look forward to those wickets.
“Obviously, the spin will play a big part and the practice we’ve had so far here has been really helpful for us to get used to the conditions, and acclimatise to the heat. So, draw on those experiences, like you said, and trying to put it all into our performances at the end of the day,” he said.
After going through the grind of domestic games, McCreath made his white-ball debut for Scotland last year and has played 10 ODIs and four T20Is so far. “I had a few matches under my belt and just learning as quickly as possible. Learning from my teammates, opposition, and just trying to get as much information in as possible and while sticking to my strengths, finding the balance while coming in.
“I have done at number five in the middle order – that sort of adapting to the situation, being aware of where the game is, how do I need to play? So sort of having an understanding of that and then being able to go out there and perform my skills, and back my strengths is the key.
“I guess it’s a combination of those things and trying to put it into a performance that will help us as a team. It’s a learning process and I’m enjoying the challenges and the experiences at the minute. I’m looking forward to any opportunity I get to try and help us win some games,” he concluded.
–IANS
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