Jonathan Trott, who played Test and white-ball cricket for England, was brought in to work as a batting consultant for Scotland ahead of the T20 World Cup. Scotland are in Group B with Bangladesh, Oman and Papua New Guinea.
\r\nFormer England Test player Jonathan Trott says Scotland's batting lineup is packed with 'match-winners' as they attempt to advance to the second round of the T20 World Cup for the first time.
\r\nThe Scots have failed to go past the first round in each of their previous three attempts, in 2007, 2009, and 2016.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
They won their first and only match at the event five years ago, an eight-wicket victory over lowly Hong Kong in a rain-affected game, but it wasn't enough to advance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The redesigned format in this year's edition in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, on the other hand, provides the Scots, who are ranked 14th in Twenty20 cricket, a real opportunity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The top two nations from two four-team groups will advance to the Super 12 stage, where they will join the world's elite teams.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bangladesh is the Group B favourite, while the other two teams are Oman and Papua New Guinea, both of which are ranked lower than Scotland.
\r\nTrott, who played Test and white-ball cricket for England, was brought in to work as a batting consultant for Scotland ahead of the World Cup, and he likes what he sees.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We have some really good players in this Scotland squad, the batting line-up is full of match-winners," the 40-year-old told The Scotsman.
\r\nBut T20 matches can ebb and flow so much that it can't be left to one player to perform well. The whole XI has to play well to get good results.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"In terms of the batters, they are a powerful bunch of lads. It is going to be about who can deal with the pressure and not let the occasion get a hold of the emotions when the World Cup starts."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Scotland finished last in a group that also included Pakistan and India in 2007, and last in a group with South Africa and New Zealand in 2009.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 2016 tournament provided greater opportunity for lower-ranked nations, but Scotland's win over Hong Kong was insufficient to qualify from a four-team group that also included Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It's possible that this year will be different. Oman has only competed in the event once before, and Papua New Guinea is taking part for the first time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Scotland's head coach, Shane Burger, can draw on the experience of captain Kyle Coetzer, who has competed in the games in 2009 and 2016.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Safyaan Sharif, Matthew Cross, Alasdair Evans, Josh Davey, Michael Leask, George Munsey, and Mark Watt have also competed in major tournaments.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"This squad has worked hard over a long period of time now and deserves the opportunity to show the world what we are about" said Burger.<\/p>\r\n\r\n