Dunedin: One of the World Cup contenders will be up against potential giant-slayers when New Zealand take on Scotland in what promises to be a precarious outing for the co-hosts in a preliminary cricket clash on Tuesday.
New Zealand are riding high on a 98-run triumph over Sri Lanka in their opening match, while Scotland are bubbling with enthusiasm at the prospect of playing their first World Cup game in eight years. And what both the teams would clearly remember ahead of Tuesday’s clash is their most recent encounter in October last year.
The Kiwis had barely managed to sneak away with a one-run win against the sprightly Scots, who have not forgotten how close they came to creating a huge upset.Â
“We watched a video this morning of that game, and we took a huge amount from that game. We took them very close, and really we should have won that game,” Scotland skipper Preston Mommsen said recalling the game in which a last-ball run out denied his team a famous win.
“A lot of the guys playing tomorrow played in that game, so we’ve got that to call upon, and hopefully we can produce a similar performance tomorrow and take the game deep,” he added.
The Kiwis, on the other hand, are well aware of the rather tricky game that awaits them with coach Mike Hesson making it clear that no side can afford to take a perceived minnow lightly.
“I think there will be a number of upsets in this tournament and if sides take any other side lightly they could get turned over. We will respect Scotland as much as we do every other team,” Hesson said.Â
Squads:
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (captain), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson.Â
Scotland: Preston Mommsen (capt), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer (vice-capt), Freddie Coleman, Matthew Cross, Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans, Hamish Gardiner, Majid Haq, Michael Leask, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod, Safyaan Sharif, Rob Taylor, Iain Wardlaw.