Berrington is hoping qualification can ‘inspire a nation’

RICHIE BERRINGTON wants Scotland to ‘inspire a nation’ by qualifying from their T20 World Cup group for the second tournament in succession.

The Saltires made history last year when they won all three of their first-round games in Oman to reach the Super 12 phase.

Scottish cricket has been under a cloud ever since the publication of an independent report in the summer found the sport to be institutionally racist.

Berrington knows cricket in this country is facing a long rebuilding process but hopes success on the world stage can start to put smiles on faces again.

Ahead of tomorrow’s opener against the West Indies, the Scotland captain said: ‘It’s certainly been a challenging time for the sport. As a playing group, we want to do everything we can to make the positive changes that can help drive cricket forward.

‘Our main job is on the field and inspiring a nation is something we speak about a lot. That’s certainly something we’ll be looking to do by putting in performances to make everyone back home proud.

‘This is a great opportunity for us to go out and show that we can compete with some of the best. We’re very lucky to have strong support back home, which is something that motivates us to do well. But we’re hoping that there will be a few Scottish fans out here in Hobart watching us, too.’ Scotland face a tough challenge to claim one of the two qualifying places in a group that also includes Ireland and Zimbabwe. The Saltires are the lowest-ranked nation in the section but Berrington (left) is confident that an experienced squad will give it a good crack.

‘We have good memories from the last World Cup and a lot of the guys in the squad were involved in that one,’ added the all-rounder.

‘We can certainly draw on some of those experiences and hopefully take a lot of confidence from that going into these games. It should be an exciting group. It’s us and three full-member countries and anyone can beat anyone on their day.

‘Getting out the group would be a positive step forward and hopefully from there we can take a lot of learning from last year’s World Cup. That’s got to be our target.’

Berrington hasn’t missed a T20 game for Scotland since 2010, a remarkable level of consistency. And he says it’s an honour every time he lines up for his country.

‘I’ve been fortunate to have been involved with this team for a while now and to have the opportunities that I’ve had,’ he added. ‘Hopefully I can use a lot of that experience over the next few weeks and help the team.’