Key batter George Munsey will be with Scotland’s squad for June’s ICC World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe despite a broken little finger, says new interim head coach Doug Watson.
The 30-year-old opener was injured during their training camp in Antigua this week.
It means he will miss the annual Cool & Smooth T20 competition starting there.
Asked if Munsey will recover for Zimbabwe, Watson said: “He’ll be there even if his fingers are still sore.”
The 49-year-old South African added: “He’s pretty fired up and determined to do well for Scotland and he’s an integral part of the team.”
Six of the Scotland squad are remaining in Antigua to take part in the Cool & Smooth T20, in which Munsey was top run scorer last year, with players assigned to eight teams on a roster basis.
Watson will remain in Antigua to monitor their progress and added: “It’s a great opportunity for them to not only improve their skills but also be involved in different environments, to hear from other coaches they will be working under and hopefully bring that experience and that knowledge back to the group in May.”
‘The gap’s definitely got closer’
Despite having only spent a few days with his new charges, concluding with a win over the local SKN Patriots side, Watson suggested he had already seen “massive improvements in the bowling and the batting”.
“The gap’s definitely got closer to where we want to be and we’ve got a good base,” he said.
Watson arrives at a time of turmoil for Cricket Scotland with four members of its equality and anti-racism working group having resigned last month over what they saw as a lack of progress in tackling racism.
Asked about being appointed in such circumstances, he thought it was good that he was coming in with a “new set of eyes and ears” but stressed his focus was on leading the side to the qualifier in Zimbabwe followed by July’s T20 World Cup Europe qualifier, which is being hosted in Edinburgh.
Watson’s interim spell takes him through to the start of August and, asked what might happen afterwards, he replied: “Shall we cross that bridge when we come to it?”
He replaced Shane Burger, with whom he played domestic cricket in his homeland, and sees his role as building on “quite a bit of success” his compatriot enjoyed with the team, finishing top of the Cricket World Cup Division 2.
However, Watson said he has limited his conversations with Burger about individual players because, “I’ve probably tried to come in with a set of fresh eyes and ears” and where “there’s no pre-judgement”.
Source – BBC Sport
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