Photo Credit: LinkedIn Profile Photo of George Munsey
George Munsey believes Scotland’s recent giant-killing exploits means they will be seen as a force to be reckoned with at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Scotland have competed at the most recent two ICC Men’s T20 World Cups, beating the likes of West Indies and Bangladesh along the way.
They will now compete for one of the final two spots on offer at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, beginning in the group stage alongside Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates.
Munsey has thrived on the big stage in the past, scoring an unbeaten 66 in the landmark 42-run victory over West Indies in 2022, and believes his teammates are ready to seize their latest opportunity.
He said: “Representing Scotland in a qualifying process, it does not really get much better.
“We are the slight underdogs but I know for a fact that these other teams are not taking us lightly.
“That is something that we have learnt from playing these bigger teams and beating these bigger teams on the world stage.
“It is something we are all very excited about. Just look at the World Cup itself, it is only 10 teams, so we are fighting with the best of the best and that is something to be proud of.
“We went to South Africa on this pre-camp and one of the players spoke of this ‘pinch yourself’ moment.
“We have a great opportunity in our group, it is very competitive and obviously each team will be looking to get through the group.
“There are no easy games that is for sure, but I am confident in the guys that we brought over to get the job done and there are some exciting fixtures to look forward to as well, which is always nice.
Reverse sweep specialist Munsey makes the trip to Zimbabwe at the perfect time from a personal point of view, having made his first ODI hundred against Namibia in February.
His unbeaten 103 that day came from just 61 balls as Scotland eased to a 10-wicket win and he followed up with 60 against Nepal, form he is hoping to take into the Qualifier.
“It is a special memory to score a hundred, that is for sure,” he said.
“You probably don’t really recognise what you are doing at the time because it is our job to go out there and score the runs or take the wickets for your country.
“Of course, you are just getting the job done and putting all that hard work you have put into training into practice in matches, but it was a pretty cool feeling and a decent crowd.
“It is something you can look back on a few years later and think ‘that is pretty cool’, so the feeling is still there.
“I would like to do that again, hit the qualifying stage and be a big part of this campaign.”
How they qualified
Scotland topped the pile in the 2019-2023 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 with 24 wins from their 36 games to end six points ahead of second-place Oman and now have a shot at the Qualifier.
World Cup record
Scotland have featured at three of the 13 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups, making their debut in 1999. They also competed in the 2007 and 2015 editions but have never advanced beyond the group stages.
They are yet to register a win at a World Cup but will hope to keep up their run of qualifying for a World Cup every eight years since their debut.
One to Watch
Mark Watt ended fourth in the standings for most wickets in League 2 between 2019 and 2023, with 54 scalps from 31 matches, including a best return of five for 33 against the UAE.
The left-arm finger spinner was catapulted to global recognition after producing figures of three for 12 to bowl out the West Indies for 118 in last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as Scotland pulled off an historic victory.
When are they playing?
Scotland start their campaign against Ireland on June 21, and then take on United Arab Emirates (June 23), Oman (June 25), and Sri Lanka (June 27).
