T20 WC, Rd 1: Win over B'desh a result of long-term planning, says Coetzer

Al Amarat [Oman], October 18 : After a thrilling win over Bangladesh on Sunday, Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer said the team was planning for a victory like this for a long time.
Scotland sent shockwaves through the Bangladesh camp with a six-run win over the Mahmudullah-led side. The Scots had booked their place in the tournament back in 2019 but spent much of the Covid-19 pandemic having to readjust their plans as tours and matches were postponed.
And for Coetzer, who was part of the Scotland team that beat Bangladesh back in 2012, it was also important to remember just how many sacrifices the team has had to make simply to get here.
"It's a huge win for us, it's something we've been planning for a long time. It's been a long two years since the qualifying tournament," ICC quoted Coetzer as saying.
"Until a month ago we had played two games of cricket as a group so there was a lot of planning behind the scenes, a lot of guys working hard and it sometimes seemed you were working for nothing because our tours kept getting cancelled. So that was really hard for us to manage.
"But now we're reaping the rewards of keeping the faith that this tournament would come around and we would be a better team for it when we arrive out here," he added.
The Scotland skipper said for an associate team it is very hard to get some game time and he was really proud of his squad for registering a hard-fought win.
"There have been a lot of sacrifices for many players, associate cricket is very hard and to get the opportunity we do when we get out here, it's important to take it because otherwise if you get brushed aside people don't appreciate how hard associate cricket is. We've made some good strides and I'm really proud," said Coetzer.
Scotland will next lock horns on Tuesday with Papua New Guinea, who were well beaten by Oman in their opening game.