Among the superstitious, Friday the 13th is considered unlucky.
For cricket fans though, this year the fated day can only be good it marks the start, in our time zone at least, of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
Teams from across the world fourteen teams, to be precise will fight it out in Australia and New Zealand for the most coveted prize in One Day International (ODI) cricket.
That might not sound like a big deal. But the tournament will showcase cricket’s big hitters (often literally), under glistening sunshine, in some of the finest stadiums in the world.
And the ODI format that is, 50 overs provides a great introduction to the game.
Over the coming weeks, this blog will follow the tournament with a balanced mix of match reports, analysis and gossip particularly given most of the games will be broadcast in the UK at 3am.
To get things bowling before the first game of the tournament (Sri Lanka v New Zealand, Christchurch, 22:00 GMT, Feb 13) we look at what chances Scotland has of causing an upset.Scotland“We have a strong squad line-up and excellent leaders in Preston and Kyle. We don’t underestimate the challenge, but we have been training hard and will be bringing our absolute best to this hugely important global event.” Grant Bradburn, former New Zealand International and Scotland coach
This is only Scotland’s third outing in the ICC Cricket World Cup and they have yet to win a single match at the tournament.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=y0N03r2zfpA%3Frel%3D0
On initial readings then, the chances of The Saltires progressing beyond the group stages seem limited, to say the least. They are in a tough group (Group A), facing, among others, Australia, Sri Lanka and, of course, England.
But those backing the blue and whites down under have cause for comfort:This is the first time Scotland an ICC associate member, meaning it does not play Test Cricket has fielded an all-county contracted team at the tournament. They have a strong backroom staff with former New Zealand international Grant Bradburn and England legend Paul Collingwood guiding the team. Their form going into the tournament has been strong. They showed strong character to defeat Afghanistan and Ireland ahead of this tournament. In their final warm-up game they lost narrowly to the Test-playing West Indies. Star player: Preston MommsenLike many of the UK’s greatest cricketing talents, Mommsen was born in South Africa.
The 2014 ICC Associate and Affiliate player of the year, he has scored 631 runs in 22 ODI games at an average of 33.21.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=AitCcypYOtI%3Frel%3D0
As captain, he performed well in the 2015 World Cup warm-up tournament, amassing 520 runs in eight innings at an average of 88.66 in the tournament.
His form will be crucial to Scotland’s success.
Squad: Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer (vice-capt), Freddie Coleman, Matthew Cross (wk), Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans, Hamish Gardiner, Majid Haq, Michael Leask, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod, Preston Mommsen (capt), Safyaan Sharif, Rob Taylor, Iain Wardlaw.PredictionThe odds of Scotland progressing from their group are, even with the most positive spin, slim. The best the national side can probably hope for is to win games a feat which is well within their reach. Victories against Afghanistan and/or Bangladesh would be hugely positive.
And, of course, The Saltires can always look across the sea to Ireland for inspiration, who in the 2011 tournament stunned England with one of the greatest World Cup upsets.