The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Helping hand for Saltires
SCOTLA ND HA VE acquired the inside track on their next World Cup Pool A cricketopponents— intheformofBangladesh’s former coach Shane Jurgensen.
The A ustralian, who left his post with Bangladesh last year, is to help Scotland prepare to face his old team in Nelson tomorrow.
Cricket Scotland tweeted: “Big Scottish welcome to @shanejurgo, who is helping us prepare for the game against @BCBtigers.”
Jurgensen, in New Zealand as coach of Fiji Under-19s, was happy to lend a hand on a one-off basis when Scotland asked.
He told the Daily Star in Bangladesh: “The Scotland coach and manager are very good friends of mine and they have asked for some consultancy for their match against Bangladesh.
“They just want to know about what kind of team Bangladesh is and the impact of some individual players.
“I am here to help the Scottish boys. But you can’t do much in two-three days, and I believe there has been plenty of improvement with the Bangladesh players in the last few months.”
Scotland can only hope Jurgensen manages to give them a little edge as they try to break theirWorld Cup duck and erase the disappointment of last week’s agonising defeat against their associate rivals A fghanistan.
Captain Preston Mommsen predicted his team would need “a couple of days” to get over that setback in Dunedin, so it may be helpful they have had seven to do so.
A fghanistan scrambled their maiden win in the tournament with just one wicket and three balls to spare against Scotland, after which Mommsen said: “It’s a very difficult day.
“There was a lot riding on this, a huge opportunity to get that first win.
“Regrettably, it wasn’t to be. It will take a couple of days to get over it.”
Bangladesh have three points so far — from an opening win overA fghanistan and then a washout against A ustralia in Brisbane.
But they also came up short last week, well beaten by Sri Lanka.
Their captain Mashrafe Mortaza nonetheless remains optimistic and is keeping things simple.
“Even though we lost, the next game we go for the win,” he said.