da fezbet： As Scotland prepare to tackle Australia in their opening match of the World Cup, Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland’s CEO, talks to Cricinfo about his country’s future
da bet esporte： Martin Williamson and Will Luke22-Feb-2007
‘We cannot continue to progress with amateur players’ © Cricinfo Ltd
In the last year you have been given ODI status (courtesy of the top six finish in the ICC Trophy). How has this changed the profile of the game inside Scotland?It has helped significantly in raising our profile as we have had games with Pakistan and Bangladesh and have visits from India, South Africa and New Zealand to look forward to. ODI status gives these games much more added spice and significance than the old ‘friendlies’ we played. Having an official world ranking (12th) also helps with PR and government funding.Some chairmen have complained that the ICC has not given enough financial backing to support the marked increase in the demands on Scotland and your players. Would you agree?Yes and No. The High Performance Programme and the funding following our ICC Trophy success has been a massive boost for us and we have been able to prepare more thoroughly, play more games and send our best players to training camps in our winter. However, the biggest area we need to address is our ability to put players on part or full-time contracts. We cannot continue to progress with amateur players.Given the financial gulf between the Full Members and the Associates, can the gap in playing standards ever be breached? Can you see one of the Associates, for example, playing Test cricket within a decade?It would be a major feat to achieve this. I don’t think the issue of playing standards is one that can’t be addressed as I firmly believe that with additional investment the top Associates could compete with the lower ranked Full Members. It would need the Full Members to agree to a more equitable split of resources – or even a two-tier Test system. This would be the best move for the leading Associates because in reality we cannot compete effectively with the top ranked nations at present.What are your views on players – and obviously Ed Joyce springs to mind – being lured away to play for Full member countries?Until Associates are playing Test cricket we would never want to stop any player competing at the highest level they can. The development of Ed Joyce reflects very well on Irish cricket as it did for Scotland when Dougie Brown and Gavin Hamilton played for England. It would be nice if there was a smaller re-qualification period so players could come back to represent their home country sooner after finishing [playing for] a Full Member. Four years to qualify for the country of your birth seems a little unfair.With the boot on the other foot, what are your views on players from outside a country – for example, from Asia, Australasia, South Africa or the Caribbean – being able to play for Associates after a relatively short qualification period?I don’t see four years as a short period. In Scotland’s case we have had some fantastic players who have come to Scotland, settled here and now live here permanently. They are committed to the country and I am sure will continue to live here once they stop playing. I would object if the period was shorter. One issue which is not consistent is that of passports: some countries can have shorter qualifications if they can issue residency/passports. There needs to be a level playing field. I don’t think the issue of playing standards is one that can’t be addressed as I firmly believe that with additional investment the top Associates could compete with the lower ranked Full Members Do you feel that the major countries give you enough help in terms of high-profile matches, A-team tours etc? What more could they do?England, our Full Member, has been very supportive and has just accepted our A team into their Second XI Championships. The FTP has been a great boost to the Associates with regular games. More A team visits would be very welcome as would the chance for us to go visit Full Member nations for longer tours with games of an appropriate standard. The issue as always is one of cost.How hard is it to attract sponsors to support the national side given the relatively low profile of the game in Scotland?Our profile is not low, it is actually very high. We have the third highest profile for team sports after the big two: rugby and football. We have a leading Scottish company in Lloyds TSB Scotland as our major sponsor and they have been fantastic. We also have over 10 other companies as partners.Should the ICC ensure that full ODIs should, wherever possible, be televised or, if not, that audio, video and live scores are available to the media to ensure that coverage is maximised?It would be nice to have all ODIs covered. BBC Scotland have been superb for us and televised our game with Australia in 2005 and they will cover the India game this summer.How hard is it for your players to strike the balance between being essentially amateur players in a professional world?This is a crucial area for us. Our players have to use large amounts of their holidays to play. From January to March this year they all were given three months leave by their employers to play cricket – at a cost to Cricket Scotland of over £85,000. We know this cannot continue if we are to challenge to go further up the rankings.Did your performances in Nairobi during the World Cricket League live up to your hopes?Yes. It was great to finish in the top two, albeit with some very close games. It was disappointing to lose the final but the players achieved their goal at the start of the event.
Scotland face the Netherlands in their final group game of the World Cup © AFP
What are your realistic expectations for the World Cup?It is a shame we have been drawn against the top two sides in the world when we won the qualification tournament – but such are the vagaries of the draw. Realistically, we want to perform to the optimum of our abilities in the games against South Africa and Australia. If that is achieved then our players can be delighted with themselves. We want to beat the Netherlands in the final game – which I know will be a highly competitive affair.Where do you see Scotland cricket in five and ten years time?In five years time, playing regular ODIs home and away; a squad all contracted to Cricket Scotland, and challenging to make the world’s top ten. I would also love to see our domestic game strengthened, with world-class development programmes in place to secure the long-term progression of our game.In ten years time it would be nice to have a formal first-class structure in Scotland playing regular games against Associates and Full Members. A self sufficient governing body would be nice, but that may be a few years after the ten!How strong is grassroots cricket in Scotland, in terms of quantity and quality?We have over 200 clubs, 8,000 players and over 12,000 children accessing Cricket Scotland development programmes so we believe we are in a strong position.What one change to the game would really benefit the game in Scotland?At the top-end, a semi or full-time professional squad. At the grass-roots, better playing facilities.
