Harare [Zimbabwe], June 13 : Batter George Munsey believes Scotland's recent exploits mean they will be seen as a force to be reckoned with at the ICC Men's World Cup Qualifier.
Scotland have competed at the most recent two ICC Men's T20 World Cups, beating the likes of West Indies and Bangladesh along the way.
They will now compete for one of the final two spots on offer at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, beginning in the group stage alongside Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
Munsey has thrived on the big stage in the past, scoring an unbeaten 66 in the landmark 42-run victory over West Indies in 2022, and believes his teammates are ready to seize their latest opportunity.
"Representing Scotland in a qualifying process, it does not really get much better. We are the slight underdogs but I know for a fact that these other teams are not taking us lightly. That is something that we have learnt from playing these bigger teams and beating these bigger teams on the world stage," ICC quoted George Munsey as saying.
"It is something we are all very excited about. Just look at the World Cup itself, it is only 10 teams, so we are fighting with the best of the best and that is something to be proud of. We went to South Africa on this pre-camp and one of the players spoke of this 'pinch yourself' moment," he added.
"We have a great opportunity in our group, it is very competitive and obviously each team will be looking to get through the group. There are no easy games that is for sure, but I am confident in the guys that we brought over to get the job done and there are some exciting fixtures to look forward to as well, which is always nice," Munsey further stated.
Reverse sweep specialist Munsey makes the trip to Zimbabwe at the perfect time from a personal point of view, having made his first ODI hundred against Namibia in February.
His unbeaten 103 that day came from just 61 balls as Scotland eased to a 10-wicket win and he followed up with 60 against Nepal, form he is hoping to take into the Qualifier.
"It is a special memory to score a hundred, that is for sure. You probably don't really recognise what you are doing at the time because it is our job to go out there and score the runs or take the wickets for your country," Munsey said.
Scotland will be hoping to carry their form over from League 2 to the Qualifier where they will battle nine other teams for two spots in the Cricket World Cup later this year. The bottom five from the Super League West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Netherlands will join League 2 top three Scotland, Oman and Nepal as well as Play-off finalists United States and UAE to take part in the Qualifier in Zimbabwe.
"Of course, you are just getting the job done and putting all that hard work you have put into training into practice in matches, but it was a pretty cool feeling and a decent crowd. It is something you can look back on a few years later and think 'That is pretty cool', so the feeling is still there. I would like to do that again, hit the qualifying stage and be a big part of this campaign," he added.
Scotland squad: Richie Berrington (c), Matthew Cross, Alasdair Evans, Chris Greaves, Jack Jarvis, Michael Leask, Tom Mackintosh, Chris McBride, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Adrian Neill, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Hamza Tahir and Mark Watt.
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