PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES

Coetzer hails coach Bradburn over the demands that led to historic England win

THE mountain had been scaled. The intrepid leader stood at the summit of his professional career and reflected on how the journey had been made.

Scotland, incredibly and dramatically, had beaten England, the best limited-overs team in the world, by six runs.

It was the first time the Auld Enemy had been defeated by the national side and Kyle Coetzer, laced in perspiration and eyes bright with unprecedented victory, still had the capacity for rational thought as some of the 4,000 fans cavorted on the pitch at the Grange while others indulged in strong cheers and stronger liquor. So how had it come to this? How had a side once regarded as journeymen deservedly beaten the likes of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali?

Coetzer — who had played his part in the victory by scoring 58 in his 50th international — moved his mind from a febrile Sunday in Edinburgh to a specific moment from the past.

‘About two and a bit years ago, Grant Bradburn (the national coach) sat us down in sunny Dundee and had two pictures on the wall; one of a windy road and one of a straight, easy double-lane road that you could cruise along,’ said Coetzer.

‘The way he framed it was: “You can take the easy road like we’ve always done, or we can take a few twists and turns, which is a bit trickier, but the scenery is nicer along the way. There will be areas you have to drive slowly”.

‘If you put that in context, it gives you an idea that we had to push our boundaries a bit further and really put guys under pressure in training.

‘It’s bearing fruit at the moment. Guys have really played well over the past few seasons.’

They certainly held up under the pressure of playing England, whether performing with bat or ball in hand. Scotland made 371 for five, before bowling out England for 365.

All the batsmen, led by the peerless Coetzer, made a contribution, although the mantle of hero fits snugly over the shoulders of Calum MacLeod, whose unbeaten 140 was a masterclass of brutal belligerence tempered by technique.

However, all this swashbuckling enterprise in batting was backed up by Scotland’s performance in the field. Bairstow threatened to make the Scotland total look eminently assailable, scoring 105 off 59 balls.

‘When Jonny was going, we needed something to go our way,’ said Coetzer. ‘He played an unbelievable innings and is in great form.

‘Credit to him, he put the pressure right back on us and so did the rest of the England team. It got close at the end but our boys held their nerve.’ This was the crucial element. This was a match of more than 700 runs that was decided by six. This was the sort of marginal contest that demanded coolness amid the passion.

‘It is something we have becoming really good at, dealing with the pressure out on the field,’ continued Coetzer. ‘We back our bowlers to execute their skills and on a flat pitch with a fast outfield, we knew that they would come hard.’ They did. It took a supreme effort to bowl England out and Scotland could bask in the sun not just in the glare of an outstanding victory but also in the light of an unassailable truth.

This is a very good, improving team, built on solid foundations.

It is a side fit to grace next year’s World Cup but it has been denied the opportunity by, first, a short-sighted decision to restrict the tournament to ten teams and, second, by events in qualifying in Zimbabwe where rain and poor umpiring conspired to eliminate Scotland.

‘That was tough to take and some guys are still hurting, because, at the end of the day, we don’t have a World Cup to go to,’ said Coetzer.

But England offered an element of redemption and that was taken. Scotland now face Pakistan today and tomorrow at the Grange in a T20 double-header. Matches against Holland and Ireland have been arranged for later in the season but the lack of regular, competitive fixtures must be addressed.

Bradburn called yesterday on the International Cricket Council to review its decision on the number of competing teams for the World Cup in 2023. However, Scotland, too, need funding and support to expand a limited playing schedule.

Two of Sunday’s heroes have already profited from their day in the sun.

Derbyshire have announced MacLeod and Safyaan Sharif, who ensured victory by trapping Mark Woods lbw, will play for them in this season’s T20 Blast competition.

Bradburn, an understated but flinty New Zealander, will also be on the Derbyshire coaching squad for the matches. The journey, therefore, goes on with some intriguing diversions.

‘There could have been a roadblock against England,’ said Coetzer.

‘It would have been nice having a couple of warm-up games leading up to the match but we know how to prepare and we have to be ready to hit the ground running.’

Pakistan offer another stern test. ‘They will have seen the result against England and will be coming to push us hard and put us under pressure. It’s going to be a couple of quality games. We don’t expect them to come here and not try to knock us all over the place. It could be an exciting couple of days,’ said Coetzer.

But he understandably allowed himself another brief look back to a sensational Stockbridge Sunday.

‘It was about creating history,’ he said. ‘By beating a full member and England, it’s a credit to everyone in the organisation. They have done a fantastic job. The atmosphere was electric and it was an amazing day.’

There is a hope, even an expectation of more to come. The summit may have been scaled but the lesson from Sunday is that there is more mileage in this Scotland team.

1 Sunday’s stunning ODI victory at the Grange was Scotland’s first-ever win over England — the best limited-overs team in the world