Scotland Faces Setback in T20 World Cup Qualifiers as Rain Washes Out Opening Match

Scotland had big aspirations going into the T20 World Cup. Their ambitions suffered an early setback when unseasonably heavy rain forced the abandonment of their opening match against Guernsey in the Europe Qualifier. Steady rain in the Netherlands put paid to any play and left the Scots to reflect on their opening efforts as they re-focus on their remaining matches. The new round-robin format leaves Scotland facing an uphill battle from the very start against their WBSC competitors.

Scotland’s abandoned match against Guernsey was a big missed opportunity, as it would have given the Scots an early lead in the qualifiers. Head coach Doug Watson and his players are intent on going one step further and qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The morale of the development team is spoiled. As young psychologists, they were chomping at the bit to have an impact after all the intense training and education.

“It is disappointing. The players have worked hard and trained hard,” expressed Watson in an interview with BBC Scotland. He recognized the difficulties brought by the storm but focused on what was ahead. “Bad news, but it’s done, and so be it,” he said, doubling down on his intention to look ahead toward the big fights that lie ahead.

Scotland’s next game is on Tuesday against the Netherlands, before taking on Italy on Wednesday. Watson praised the execution on both sides, as well as what has been a remarkable show of offense. So far the Netherlands and Italy have both won their respective matches against Jersey and Guernsey.

“We take nothing for granted. Ideally, we would have played and won, but we can only focus on what’s ahead of us and our next game is the Dutch,” stated Watson, highlighting his team’s determination to overcome this early hurdle.

With Scotland looking ahead towards these decisive further matches there are lessons learned, but a quick recovery and return to form will be required. With an eye on qualification for the T20 World Cup, every game is evermore important from here on out to them. Their excitement is contagious as they go into an inspiring and extremely competitive week of competition.