Bloodied but unbowed

Source: Rampant Lion     Date: June 08, 2003

Cricket: Two games, two defeats, but there is still much to be positive about and somebody is going to pay. 

What a terrific match, what a magnificent performance against one of the best sides in the world. Typing these words in just a few minutes after the finish, I obviously have mixed emotions, because I haven't been dismissed first ball too often in my career, and, to be honest, it is hurting like hell.

In the bigger picture though, the disappointment felt by all the lads shows how big our ambitions are. Clearly, we are a little deflated, and it's frustrating to get so close without being able to complete the job. But we knew it was a sluggish pitch, and that they had several inexperienced players in their team, which meant that if we bowled well, we could run them close.

Indeed, any doubts I might have harboured about the passion which exists in Scottish cricket have been quickly dispelled during the past week's frantic activity. Here in Scotland, it has immediately become obvious to me that everyone, from the ground staff through to the officials who work, invariably on a voluntary basis, behind the scenes, and even the bagpipers who marched the Saltires on to the pitch at the Grange last Sunday, is 100% committed to improving the standard of the sport and doing it in the best way possible Ð namely by making big-name opponents sit up and take notice.

As Tony Judd, the quietly-spoken, but incredibly competitive Australian who coaches the team, has spelt out, we have to be prepared to lose to win and be ready to think on our feet and take calculated risks which aren't in any teaching manuals.

In the final analysis, the match against Hampshire clearly brought a disappointing result both for me, personally, and, more importantly, the Scottish team, who were striving to climb to the summit of the Second Division table. Yet despite the margin of the eventual six-wicket defeat, there was several significant plus points, from which we have all taken heart. Firstly, it shouldn't be forgotten that although Hampshire have a first-class bowling attack, confirmed by the fact that Wasim Akram, Alan Mullaly, Ed Giddins and Shaun Udal have all played Test cricket, we still managed to post a score in excess of 200, which might have been 30 runs short, but still proved that the Saltires aren't far off the pace, even on a day when we felt we could have done better in front of such a huge crowd.

I was instantly impressed with Dougie Lockhart, who has been in superb shape during the NCL campaign, and he looked in control at the crease throughout his knock, whilst Greig Williamson showed he can give the ball a real thump by dispatching the accurate Mullaly into the heavens for a six.

The Saltires captain, Craig Wright, was another individual who seemed very comfortable against quality opposition and I can vouch for the fact that anybody who manages to send the wily Wasim to the boundary for consecutive fours has to be a pretty decent batsman.

As for Jon Kent's 57, it was a classy innings, he performed beautifully and held the Scots together in the middle of the match so, all in all, it was understandable that even if we felt frustrated at the end, and there was a definite lack of momentum in the closing overs, there were plenty of promising aspects to the overall display, which I believe we can build on in future matches.

As for my own effort, it was both annoying and encouraging, if you get my drift. At the start, I was more excited than nervous Ð let's face it, there wasn't really much time to get butterflies because I was at the wicket within three deliveries of the start Ð but by the stage I had struck a couple of fours off Mullaly and Wasim, I began to feel I was in good shape, especially considering I hadn't played in a proper match since the World Cup final in March. Usually, in these situations, once I advance to 20 and beyond, I will back myself to achieve a big score. But in this instance, with the excitement of the fans increasing (the proximity of the crowd at The Grange meant you could sense their conflicting emotions), I was undone by a good ball from Mullaly, which slanted across me, forced me into the shot, and that was the end of my debut Ð caught behind for 25.

Of course, it was a disappointment, but on my return to the pavilion, I heard a few spectators shouting ÒWell doneÓ and the reception at the climax was a genuine eye-opener. All these Scottish people, carrying flags and programmes and looking for autographs, and the sight of scores of little kids dashing around with tiny bats and stumps, offered a reminder that if the Saltires can keep producing positive performances in the NCL and against international opponents such as the Pakistanis, there are no shortage of cricketing enthusiasts and future generations waiting to be inspired.

I'm a realist, however, and I recognise that we can't afford the dropped catches and sloppy outfielding which made Hampshire's job easier than it should have been. But surely it's a measure of the expectations which Craig and the boys have raised that we were all genuinely deflated in the hours after the defeat. Oblivious to the people taking wickets and scoring runs against us, spearheaded by Wasim and Robin Smith , this Saltires team has the attitude that it's 11 against 11 and that big-name reputations count for less than a team fighting for each other and pulling in the same direction.

Believe me, I am absolutely committed to making sure that I find my best form swiftly, and I'm going to make somebody pay for what happened yesterday.