ICC T20 WC: Happy to go under the radar, it's where I want us to be, says Scotland coach Shane Burger

By Vishesh Roy
New Delhi [India], October 7 : For the past five years, England has created an aura around its white-ball team as pundits have often applauded how the Eoin Morgan-led side keeps the foot on the pedal from the very start till the end. The same can be said about Scotland, who under the reins of Kyle Coetzer has been playing in a similar style and it is about time the world takes notice.
However, Scotland coach Shane Burger sees it differently as he believes that going under the radar works perfectly for his side. He also hailed the bench strength Scotland has been able to create and how it will go in their favour at the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
"It is brilliant if Scotland has been going under the radar. I think that is a fantastic place to be, we do play an exciting brand of cricket, England has certainly set the tone on how they won the World Cup and how they planned for it, there is a lot to be admired from that. But I am also a firm believer of using tactics and strategies that actually suit your players in the team," Burger told ANI in an interaction organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
"There is no point in setting a certain brand of cricket if you do not have the players to do that. We have the players to do that and this is the reason why we play the attacking brand of cricket. That suits us as a team, it is really important that we stick to this. We are not any of the other teams, we are unique in how we play. The thing which excites me the most is we do not have just 11 players, we have all 17 years who can play the brand of cricket we know to win cricket games. Ultimately, it comes down to winning crucial moments. If we are under the radar, then it is brilliant. That's where I want us to be," he added.
The Kyle Coetzer-led side will also have the services of former England batter Jonathan Trott who has been roped in as batting consultant for the showpiece event.
Trott was England's batting coach when the Three Lions came to India earlier this year and he saw how skipper Joe Root excelled on tricky spinning wickets. And he hopes that the Scotland batters would take a cue from Root and get better in their footwork while tackling spin.
"Joe Root has got so many qualities, it is hard choosing one. His footwork against spin is crucial, I think foot movement would be the key on these wickets. As the tournament goes on and wickets get a little bit tired, playing spin will be crucial. The wickets would not be fresh because IPL is going on in the UAE. Playing spin will be the key and if there is anything you can take from Joe is his foot movement and the way he goes about training," said Trott.
Scotland is placed in Group B of the Qualifying Stages for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup alongside Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, and hosts Oman. The top two sides from the group will qualify for the Super 12 Stages.
Scotland will face Bangladesh in their first match of the tournament on October 17 at Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman. The side will then take on Papua New Guinea and Oman on October 19 and 21.
Scotland squad: Kyle Coetzer (c), Richard Berrington, Dylan Budge, Matthew Cross (wk), Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Michael Leask, Calum Macleod, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace (wk), Mark Watt, Brad Wheal.