WATT: I THOUGHT I’D HAD MY CHIPS

AS the youngest member of the Scotland side, Mark Watt probably isn’t short of advice coming his way. And on Sunday at the Grange, as he set about trying to curtail an aggressive England attack, it was no different. Opening batsmen Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow were clattering the ball to all parts of the ground early on as England replied to the Scots’ target of 371-5 and things looked bleak for the hosts. The 21-year-old from Edinburgh was called into the attack as skipper Kyle Coetzer tried to stem the tide — but he was swiftly dispatched as easily as his colleagues. ‘It had been a bit worrying earlier on when I was bowling and the ball was disappearing over the fish and chip van,’ admitted Watt. ‘Even my dad came and had a chat with me on the boundary and told me how I should bowl!’ Undeterred, Watt stuck to his task. And, crucially, provided the breakthrough. The spinner, who now plays for Tynemouth near Newcastle, took the key first wicket of Roy, caught and bowled, after England had raced to 129 in just the 13th over. ‘I think the caught and bowled I had to get out Jason Roy is up there with my best-ever wickets,’ said Watt. ‘I could see the ball coming back to me and knew the catch was on. My whole world stood still for a few seconds, but I managed to hold on and that was a big moment.’ Watt would take two more wickets, including another crucial intervention to end Moeen Ali’s innings, to finish with 3-55 — the pick of Scotland’s bowlers. ‘The atmosphere was just amazing and it is a day that I will not forget for a long time,’ he admitted.