Scotland's Michael Leask previews huge T20 World Cup clash with Australia

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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

Transcript

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

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