When Scotland rounded off a triumphant World Cricket League 2 [WCL2] campaign at the start of the year they felt literally and metaphorically on top of the world.
A collection of one-day international tri-series that had begun back in September 2019, meandered slowly through the Covid years and took in trips to the UAE, Oman, the United States and Namibia finally concluded in the mountains of Nepal with Scotland sitting proudly atop the seven-nation standings.
It was a draining, demanding slog at times and it was only right that the achievement was raucously celebrated. The Scotland players had earned that moment.
To then be asked, though, to go through it all again? That might be a step too far for some. With no promotion on offer this time following the ICC’s [International Cricket Council] decision to scrap the Super League featuring the top 13 countries, after just one edition, it leaves Associate nations like Scotland with no choice but to commit again to the same four-year cycle as part of the qualification path to the 2027 World Cup.
It is a situation that has added to the sense of frustration currently prevalent in the squad. After a successful 2023 that saw Scotland come agonisingly close to reaching the recent 50-over World Cup and then qualify for next year’s T20 World Cup, the players now find themselves in a state of flux, with no head coach in place and no confirmed fixtures.
George Munsey surveys the scene with a heavy heart. He is one of the fortunate ones to have landed winter employment on the lucrative franchise circuit – he’s in the Chennai Braves squad about to take part in the Abu Dhabi T10 – but he worries for the younger members of the squad with no opportunities and no coach to guide them. At 30 years old, the big-hitting batter is young enough himself to take on another WCL campaign. The question is whether he, and others, have the appetite to do so.
“It’s very frustrating not knowing what the future holds,” he admits. “We keep coming off a good run of cricket and feeling that you’re making some headway and then there’s just nothing in front of you.
“Winning World Cricket League 2 was a fantastic effort after four years of hard graft. And now not to get any promotion and to still be in that league is pretty tough to take. It’s going to be hard to be really up for another four-year cycle of the same competition that you’ve just won.
“It’s part of the World Cup qualification process and we think – but haven’t had it confirmed – that we’ll need to finish top four to qualify. But it’s pretty deflating when you look across at other sports. If you win your division you get promoted or some other reward and that’s not happening for us, which is a bit of a stain after four years of working hard and putting in your best cricket back to back.
“The tours were short but intense. You’d play a game, then have a day off, then another game until you’ve played four games in six days in all sorts of environments. We went to Nepal and Namibia, while in Oman we played in 48C heat. It was a serious slog and it’s hard to get your head around now facing another four-year cycle in the same competition.
“That’s going to be a big challenge for whoever comes in as the new head coach, to manage that and re-energise this group. As someone who’s been around for a while it’s just disappointing not to have big games to look forward to or a string of fixtures that we can work towards.”
Munsey admits he’s not yet in a place where he’s able to make that commitment.
“Absolutely. And I’m not the only one who isn’t sure how they feel about another four years of WCL2. Pulling on a Scotland shirt is one of the best things you do and we have a very skilled and close-knit group. It’s always exciting to play with these guys. But it’s certainly crossed my mind a little bit thinking about another four years of one-day cricket if the scheduling is the same, with that many games in a short space of time with no real care for the players’ welfare. It will be a real challenge mentally to be up for it.
“There’s not been too much communication about what’s on the cards for next year. The organisation [Cricket Scotland] is going through a big reshuffle and we don’t know what that’s going to look like in terms of our contracts and our jobs, and whether that’s going to have a positive or negative impact.
“There’s so much in the air which makes it pretty challenging, along with there being no coaching staff to develop the skills of this crop of youngsters that we’ve seen come through to the main team over the past year or so. That’s probably the biggest frustration.
“It’s not been easy for Cricket Scotland. There are a lot of things they need to get right and make better. But at the same time there are young cricketers who are missing out during a key time in their development. They’re eager to learn and get better but not really getting that coaching that they need.”
In the meantime, Munsey is keeping himself ticking over in the Middle East. For such an explosive hitter, the T10 format seems to suit the left-hander’s game to a tee but he admits it does take a bit of getting used to with so little time in the middle.
“The T10 franchise is going all around the world now, it’s a massive tournament,” he adds. “I’m grateful to be a part of that. It’s a chance to test your skills and show what you can do. It’s the direction I can see my career moving more towards. I’m excited to see where my game’s at.”
Back home, Munsey is also doing his bit to grow the game having established the Edinburgh Cricket Academy to offer training opportunities for young players.
“A big driver for me is trying to change the number of opportunities there are for players to even try cricket,” he adds. “We’ve got an under-12 soft ball programme that is all free as we want to get as many kids into cricket as possible and hopefully produce a few stars of the future.”
