T20 World Cup: What next for Scotland after sobering Super 12s?
- Published
Scotland enjoyed three straight wins in the first round but were outclassed in the Super 12 stage
Head coach Shane Burger and captain Kyle Coetzer talked a lot about "learnings" for Scotland during the T20 World Cup.
After the elation of reaching the Super 12 stage for the first time there certainly were some harsh lessons in the United Arab Emirates.
All five matches were lost. And there were three brutal batterings.
Scotland's tournament ended with a 72-run defeat to Pakistan. They were bowled out for a mere 60 by Afghanistan and India took just 6.3 overs to seal an eight-wicket victory.
New Zealand were given a scare before holding off a spirited response to win by 16 runs, but the loss that will sting the most came against Namibia, the only other Associate nation to make the second phase of the tournament.
Three wickets tumbled in a horror opening over and another low score was overtaken with five balls to spare.
'A definite step forward'
"They would have been bitterly disappointed by that result," former captain Preston Mommsen told BBC Scotland. "They would have loved at least one win.
"It's a case of mixed emotions for the team and the organisation.
"The guys achieved a huge amount by making it through to the Super 12s and they will be much better for the experience. They got themselves into some good positions but just didn't have enough to control those moments.
"They got five games on the big stage. Against India, they had a full stadium, with hundreds of millions of people watching on TV across the world.
"It's a definite step forward. Their profile has grown as a team and individual profiles have grown with that level of exposure."
Scotland's Matthew Cross hits five consecutive boundaries
Richie Berrington was Scotland's brightest batter, amassing 177 runs over his eight outings, despite three ducks. He hit 70 in the first-round win over Papua New Guinea, clobbered a six to wrap up victory over Oman on 31 not out in the same stage and finished with a very impressive 54 not out against Pakistan.
Michael Leask, Matt Cross and George Munsey offered flashes of what they can do with the bat too.
The form of opener Coetzer will be a concern though, with the veteran skipper scoring just 37 in four innings in the Super 12s. Calum MacLeod, another stalwart - and hero of the famous ODI win against England in 2018 - also suffered for form with an average in single figures.
Mark Watt came in for some rough treatment against Pakistan but was the pick of the bowlers. Hamza Tahir was used just once and given "spin is king" in the T20 format, Scotland desperately need to find more depth in that department.
'We have to be bold and brave'
Age is no barrier, as 39-year-old Shoaib Malik emphatically illustrated with an unbeaten 54 from 18 balls against the Scots. However, many of this group have been together for a long time. Coetzer is 37, Berrington is 35.
"We need to make sure the next generation is coming through," added Mommsen.
"This is a hugely important juncture in the growth of Cricket Scotland.
"Those in cricketing circles in Scotland must take advantage of the publicity from this tournament, whether that's growing the game from a development perspective or growing financially, attracting more corporate backing, which will also help growth."
Coetzer echoed those thoughts after the Pakistan game, saying: "When we go home we have to be bold and brave and make sure we push our whole organisation forward."
Having reached the Super 12s, the good news is Scotland are guaranteed a place in the first round at the next T20 World Cup and only have to wait until next October in Australia.
However, they won't be in action again until the World Cup League 2 resumes in late March with a chance for revenge against Namibia. Nepal are the other opponents in spring, while USA and UAE come to Scotland in the summer in the same competition.
Duking it out with the other Associate nations is always fiercely competitive but it's a different ball game against the big boys of Test cricket, so the "learnings" from the past month will have to be absorbed quickly.