Craig Wants The Wright Stuff

NETHERLANDS NEWS

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Wright - wants improvement.

By David Clough, PA Sport, Basseterre

Scotland are steeling themselves to handle the pressure and produce their best performance of the World Cup in the one match they are expected to win.

Captain Craig Wright, back to lead the team having returned home to attend the funeral of his aunt, knows his team need to play better against Holland than they have so far managed in Group A.

Wide-margin defeats at the hands of Australia and South Africa have been largely predictable for both the minnows - but Wright is confident his men are capable of the required improvement.

He reasoned: "The pressure of playing against our peers is probably greater than playing against South Africa or Australia - because the expectation levels are much higher," he reasoned.

"Where we are in terms of rankings, when we play Holland now we are expected to win.

"Probably there is more pressure on us, but there has been every time we've played Holland - and we've got a pretty good record against them.

"We hope we can show we're not ranked ahead of them for nothing."

Scotland have beaten Holland in each of their last three attempts - but they had to struggle to do so in the most recent fixture when victory in Kenya took them to the final of the World Cricket League Division One.

Wright is expecting another tight match - as is his opposite number Luuk van Troost.

"We have a pretty good recent record against Holland, but I think the teams are reasonably evenly matched," said the Scotland captain.

"The three games we have won in a row have all been pretty close ones.

"I don't see why it will be any different tomorrow, and we'll have to play somewhere approaching the top of our game to get a win.

"Holland have some dangerous players and they have caused us some problems in the past."

As for his own wellbeing, Wright reports he is ready for the match following his two trans-Atlantic trips in the past week.

"My aunt was a big supporter of my cricket, and she'd be delighted I've managed to get back here for the last game," he said.

"She'll be looking down on us and hoping we get a win.

"The flights were fine, and I don't feel too bad."

He concedes that Scotland are for the first time in this World Cup approaching a match in which they have a feasible chance of success.

"Realistically, this was always the one that was going to give us the best possibility of winning a game," said the all-rounder.

"It is slightly disappointing we've had guys who get in and don't go on to get big scores.

"Against the likes of South Africa and Australia, when guys do get to 20 or 30 we really need them to make 70, 80 or 100.

"I've never had any doubt we have guys with the ability to score runs against these attacks, and we have the bowlers to bowl at them too. But we haven't done quite enough to run them close in these two games.

"I don't think we've necessarily shown all our skills and abilities in the two games. Against Holland, we still need to play better than we have done in the two previous games."

Van Troost, meanwhile, is convinced his team too have what it takes to prevail in a tough match.

"We are very positive - it will be an exciting game," he said.

"We are very equal to each other. The last match we played we lost off the last ball, so that says enough."

Van Troost is wary of putting too much on the shoulders of Essex all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate - because there are others he believes are capable of rising to the challenge. "With (Darron) Reekers up front, he can hit it miles," he said.

"We don't want Ryan to be seen as too important; we need other guys to produce big performances.

"Ryan could get a good ball first ball - and he's gone."

Van Troost nominates several others who could help to win the match.

"I'd love to see some other guys have good performances," he said.

"If one of Reekers or (Bas) Zuiderent can get a hundred - then there's Alexei (Kervezee) at number three.

"We're not seeing ourselves as underdogs. We've lost a couple of times, but third time is our time. I'm very confident."