Scotland's Michael Leask previews their huge ICC T20 Cricket World Cup clash with Australia
Darren Sammy Cricket Ground (Formerly Beausejour), St Lucia, West Indies
Darren Sammy Cricket Ground (Formerly Beausejour), St Lucia, West Indies
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00:00So Michael the Fibbets happened in the group since you last spoke
00:04How do you approach this game now knowing that you got to win?
00:08It's a must-win game always has been I think we knew coming into this game
00:13It would be we expect England to play well in the group and that's exactly what they've done
00:17Look England had two tough games to play and they've played the first one very well
00:22We always knew this was going to be a must-win game for us and look
00:25It's a hell of an opportunity for us to go and play really good cricket and take on one of the best in the world
00:31Matt way was just in here and and he said he doesn't really know
00:35What your players are capable of is that something that perhaps can come to your advantage?
00:41Yeah, look, we haven't played Australia in a t20 international for quite a long time if ever not in my recollection. So
00:49It does kind of hold us in a little bit of good stead as well
00:53Because they don't know what we're capable of given the fact that we were playing really good cricket the moment
00:57Our boys are firing. We've got some good skill sets some nice spinners some good seamers and then batters who are playing really well
01:04So look, we're going at this game quietly confident, but obviously knowing that Australia are one of the best in the world
01:10So it is going to be a tough game. But look
01:12Why can't we go and do what we've done before and and cause an upset?
01:16You might not have played them in a t20, but you're going to play it
01:19You're going to host them for three t20s in them August now
01:23Can you just give us an idea of what that means to Scotland knowing that you're going to be hosting a country like Australia then?
01:31Yeah, look Scotland don't get many opportunities to play teams like Australia England India Pakistan, especially at home
01:38That is going to be a wonderful occasion for Scotland again
01:42to host again the world test champions
01:46The ODI champions literally one of the best in the world at our home ground
01:51It's going to be incredible
01:53The fans there. I know
01:562018 they were electric and they will be again and Scottish cricket is on the rise
02:01Australian cricket is as good as it ever has been. So two good nations going up against each other and our home country
02:09What couldn't be better for us as a Scottish nation?
02:12Hi Michael a couple of nights ago a bunch of us
02:15Unintentionally gate crashed one of your birthday parties like the whole team was there and I mean it's quite emotional to see
02:23Think your media manager stood up and sang a few verses of Caledonia
02:27And there seemed to be a lot of pride and passion and just spirit within the camp
02:32So, can you just talk to us about not just that night, but that pride within this team?
02:37Yeah, certainly for me whenever you pull on the badge even sitting here just now it's a very proud moment
02:44You don't get to do it very often as an associate cricketer
02:46So every time you get to do that is extra special you are away from home. We don't do it very often
02:52So it is different when you're away at big events
02:56Let the other night. We have a tradition as a team where
02:59That's what we do
03:00Someone sings a song when it's their first tour no matter if you're the media manager for your first tour
03:04So the media manager sang up the other night and sang it beautifully in the other in the restaurant, but look, that's just
03:12Something which holds this group in a lot of good stead because it brings a smile to people's face
03:18Like I say regardless of it's your first tour or as a player or a coach. That's
03:22Something we've done
03:24And it's a little bit of fun. It brings a bit of light-heartedness to a tour of which you do miss your families and stuff
03:30It just brings a smile to people's faces
03:32You do miss your families and stuff it just brings a smile to people's face at times, doesn't it?
03:36I mean we were disappointed. He stopped after the first
03:40But just also bumping into some Scottish fans at the airport
03:44There seemed to be a bigger number now than even say when in Hobart when you beat the West Indies
03:49How encouraging is that you said Scottish cricket is on the rise, but when you see more people spending money and traveling to see you guys
03:56That's what's humbling
03:58That makes it incredibly humbling for us. I know quite a few
04:02Scottish fans who've made the trip especially even friends of players
04:07they've made the sacrifice to come over for two three weeks, which
04:12Is incredibly humbling for us as cricketers. It shows how far we've come on this journey knowing that
04:17When I first started there would be a pocket of fans that would come across knowing that we're maybe
04:22Very much underdogs. Whereas now we're we're competing in every contest and every game this World Cup so far
04:29We've had points in games where we've been right on top of the fixture
04:33The England game got cut short
04:34It would have been a hell of an occasion that and I don't see tomorrow being any different another huge occasion
04:40And why can't we go and do exactly what we did to England and cause a bit of an upset?
04:47And just finally just on that
04:48I mean you're yet to lose in this World Cup and then
04:51All the talk in the last few days has been about Australia and England and what Australia can do against you
04:56I mean has that in a way kind of fired you guys up saying hey
05:00Hang on we can knock England out ourselves like without any help or without anyone else talking about us
05:06Look, yeah, I think we're still gonna have to play our best cricket Australia. We know I've got a wonderful squad
05:13There's no
05:15There from 1 to 15 and that squad is firepower. They're all been in the IPL. They've all been everywhere. They're all
05:22Given their day they will dominate sides. So
05:26We know 1 to 15 as well in our side. We have got match winners
05:30That is what makes it exciting as a Scotsman. We know we have match winners as well
05:34It it might take two or three of us to come off on the day rather than maybe one Australian
05:39It might take two or three of us, but we see that capability within our side
05:43What song did you sing?
05:46I'm not sure
05:48Wouldn't go down. Well now it was believe I can fly I think was my initial song, which I'm not sure would go down
05:55Well, no
05:57It was yeah, I did mine in my first tour in South Africa 20 2012
06:02I just wanted to ask given you guys haven't played much in any international cricket against Australia
06:08Who are the players like Australian players that you've kind of watched at my built-in game?
06:14We played Australia
06:162015 World Cup in Australia
06:18Look, I have a huge admiration for a lot. I'm a bit of a badger of cricket. So I follow a lot of it
06:23It's similar sort of I love the way this goes about it my Maxwell just
06:29He just wants to bully the bowlers
06:31Balls nice offspring as well someone like that
06:34I love the way like Cam Green goes about at the moment youngster or young up-and-coming
06:38Fraser McGurk so guys that they see you just see that have no
06:42No shackles on them. They just want to go and excite and that for me is kind of the way I like playing cricket kind of
06:50Not a sense of
06:52Failure to it, but also trying to go and change a game very quickly
06:56And that's what those guys can do and I just love the way that the Australians are playing at the moment
07:00You can see them when you're off the field
07:02They're very together very collected which is showing it on the field as well. And and we're very similar at the moment
07:09we've got an exciting group and
07:11Yeah
07:12Hey Michael, I just want to go back to the last game
07:14Mark what had that long ball called off because he bowled Khalid after he pulled out
07:19What was the discussion like at in the middle with the umpires and the captain?
07:23I don't know. I was standing at long on
07:26He does it a lot and he's taken a lot of wickets with it. I think they gave the batter one warning
07:33but I think they perceived that he wasn't looking which
07:37videos show that he clearly was looking but
07:41again, I'm not one to
07:43To say what's right? What's wrong? The umpires knew at that time?
07:46I think it's time to the umpires discretion at the end of day and they made the right call on that day
07:50But he will be doing it again. I can guarantee he'll bowl more than one against Australia
07:56Let's hope he takes a few wickets with him. And that's what I was gonna ask
07:59He's probably one of the best in the world at it
08:01So what do you make of the tactic and what is it that makes what he's so good at it?
08:04I think it's almost like the element of surprise with it that he bowls it
08:09It's also the how good he is at it holding his length it still spins it just that fraction longer I
08:16Mean, it's horrible to face
08:18Even for us in the net still, you know, it's coming, you know, it's coming every two minutes, but like he does it a lot
08:24And I guarantee he'll do it again tomorrow
08:28Michael it's obvious that the belief is really there that you can beat Australia tomorrow. How can you beat Australia?
08:34What's the is there an avenue that you can exploit?
08:38What's the yeah, well
08:40You mentioned a bit before about needing two or three guys to come off, but how do you do it?
08:45Um, look, I think our batters are probably gonna have to step up knowing we're facing the best in the world
08:51Look, they've probably got the best all-around bowling attack in the world
08:55Zampa's top form so are the seamers
08:58So I think it's gonna have to be two or three batters in that batting innings that are really gonna have to put Australia under
09:03the pump with a ball
09:05We know that it's capable of happening and that's possible
09:09Like I say, they are in the best in the world for a reason as a collective unit
09:12We're gonna have to put them under pressure somehow
09:15We know that to win the game. We're gonna have to buy extremely well and don't get me wrong with the ball
09:21It's a star-studded batting lineup. But again, we're gonna have to hold our disciplines and and bowl really well because it looks
09:29According to what I've heard. It's a very good wicket in st. Lucia's so it's gonna be the same for both sides and hopefully we just
09:34Hold our own with the ball as well
09:36Like I say, we've got a lot of good good assets with with left arm seam right arm seam left arm spin right arm spin
09:42So we've got a lot of bases. It's just we're gonna have to hold our discipline incredibly well tomorrow
09:47And then with the batters we're gonna need two or three guys to really put on a show and and hope for that
09:52And basically take them on headfirst
09:55Given the sporting rivalry between Scotland and England
09:59What would it mean to progress through in a World Cup at their expense?
10:04I think it'd be an incredibly proud moment for Scottish cricket if we did progress to the super eights and look
10:10Let's not be around the bush. It would be the tough way. We would have we're no we're gonna have to be Australia tomorrow
10:14So I think that would make it extra special for us knowing that we've played an incredibly good game of cricket
10:20Taking on the best the world beat the best in the world to progress and I think we know we're gonna have to do that
10:25So that started three four days ago that the prep for that happened mentally physically
10:31And I think come tomorrow we're gonna have to bring our a-game and and take them on
10:38What does it a brief P1 it any word on Brad curry
10:42Everyone's fit and ready to go. Okay, and can you just give us an idea?
10:46It seems like this journey's really started sort of last April when you all got together with Doug for the first time as well
10:52In Antigua has it felt special the past sort of year or so
10:58Yeah, and I think what it is is probably a sense of maturity within the group as well a lot of our team are
11:03sort of in that
11:05Mature phase of their career where they're still getting better
11:09and
11:10Look, this team has still got a lot a lot of potential and a lot of room to grow
11:14And I think the what Doug's done is just carry on what Shane did before and just keep unlocking a little bit of potential
11:21within each individual whether it be
11:23Just what he says to players or what he's done to certain players, maybe not necessarily
11:29Technical it's more maybe just the chats you're having with him which instills that little bit more confidence