Josh Davey: Somerset & Scotland fast bowler on his unlikely international career
- Published
Josh Davey celebrates taking a wicket against Papua New Guinea
Josh Davey might have spent only the first nine months of his life living in Scotland, but the fast bowler is one of his country's biggest assets as they look to make an impact at the T20 World Cup.
Born in Aberdeen, the Taunton-based seamer has played county cricket for Somerset since 2014, but in his third World Cup has helped Scotland qualify for the main draw for the first time.
Davey, 31, is the team's leading wicket-taker in the Middle East, with eight dismissals from qualification victories over Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Oman.
Scotland, who came into the tournament ranked 14th in the world, face Afghanistan on Monday in the Super 12s stage.
"My dad worked in the oil industry in Aberdeen. I was born there but moved to America when I was nine months old. I'm actually the only member in my family who is Scottish," Davey told BBC Points West.
"I absolutely love it. I absolutely love playing for Scotland."
A late bloomer
Despite being one of his team's most experienced players, it was not until Davey was in his late teens that he even realised he was eligible to play for Scotland.
Angus Fraser, then managing director at his former club Middlesex, was the first to point it out.
"I think we were all handing our passports in or something, for a medical, and he caught wind that I said I was born in Aberdeen. That's how it came about," Davey said.
He made his debut for Scotland in 2010 in a one-day international against the Netherlands and, shortly after, set Scotland's best-ever ODI bowling figures by taking 5-9 against Afghanistan.
In 2015, Davey became the first Scotland player to make a half-century and take five wickets in a ODI, claiming 15 wickets at the World Cup that year.
Davey takes a wicket against England at the 2015 World Cup
"I had the time of my life in the 2015 World Cup and it really grows you as a cricketer," Davey said.
"I would say I'm quite experienced now, because this will be my third World Cup, but it shows you where these guys are. These top guys are the level you need to be.
"It's helped me no end, playing for Scotland and then going back into Somerset taking the experiences of playing against top guys, and just basically understanding where your weaknesses are in the game, where your strengths are in the game and how you can get better.
"It's also a taste of international cricket, how amazing it is playing on the big stage in front of the world."
Tournament underdogs
Scotland have gone into this year's T20 World Cup as one of the minnows, having initially failed to qualify from the first-round group stage of lower-ranked nations, and they came into the competition with just one win from their past six global tournaments.
But Davey is confident this is the "best" Scotland squad they have had for a number of years.
"We're starting to beat full member nations more regularly now, especially in T20 cricket," Davey said.
"That's something that we want to aspire to do, we want to become a full member nation. That's Scotland's ambition looking down the line, two or three years, and to do that you've got to beat these big teams and you've got to beat them fairly regularly."
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