T20 World Cup 2021 | Chris Greaves was delivering parcels for Amazon not too long ago, reveals Kyle Coetzer
Kyle Coetzer has revealed that Chris Greaves was delivering parcels for Amazon not too long ago and now is getting the player of the match award after their victory against Bangladesh by six runs. Coetzer further added that his performance shows that there are quality players in associate nations.
Scotland pulled off an upset over Bangladesh by six runs in the second match of the T20 World Cup 2021 on October 17. This victory becomes more special for the team as it came against an opponent that defeated Australia comfortably in the T20 series which concluded before the tournament. The win will also increase their chances of making it to the Super 12 as Bangladesh and Oman are two stronger teams in their group.Â
Batting first, Scotland were in trouble when they lost 6 wickets for a team total of 53 runs. Chris Greaves and Mark Watt stitched a partnership of 51 runs for the seventh wicket. Greaves scored 45 runs from 28 balls and played a crucial role in helping his team reach a respectable total of 140. Greaves provided an all-around performance for the team by dismissing two batsmen for 19 runs and was the architect of the victory.
Applauding Greaves for his innings, Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer revealed that he was delivering parcels for Amazon not a long time ago and illustrates how the associate cricketers have daily struggles to balance their cricketing ambitions with their livelihood.Â
"I am really proud of Greaves.He really sacrificed a lot. He was delivering parcels for Amazon not too long ago, and now is getting Player of the Match against Bangladesh. I am not sure if he will appreciate me saying this. Seeing the performance from Mark Watt and Chris Greaves with the bat today, they are lesser-known people who had to make many sacrifices to get to where they are today. Greaves isn't a contracted player in Scotland. He was on the fringes. He put his hand up, worked extremely hard and put himself in the picture. Going back a month, he wouldn't even start in one of these games. Look at what he has done. It is just proof in the pudding that there are some quality players around Associate cricket. They just need the platform to show it,” he revealed.
Greaves has stated that it was unbelievable to be the batsman who was part of rebuilding the innings
“We were in a tough situation obviously. We had to rebuild the innings, and see where we go from there. It was unbelievable that I could be that person to be a part of that . Incredible," he remarked.
Defending the target, Scotland didn’t allow the opposition batsmen to play their shots freely. They restricted batsmen like Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim and that played a vital role in their win. Shakib managed to score just 20 runs from 28 balls while Mushfiqur scored 38 runs from 36 balls. The strike rate of the Bangladeshi batsmen increased the required run rate and that helped Scotland win. Explaining how the Scottish bowlers restricted the opposition batsmen, Coetzer stated that the plan was to keep them out of their hitting zones.Â
"The plan was to keep them out of their hitting zones. We knew that they are extremely dangerous and very experienced players, so part of the challenge was to keep the ball spinning away from them or keep it underneath the bat. We knew Bangladesh's depth. They gave us a lesson at the start with their skills. It took a real fighting effort today. I kept on telling our guys that we are never out of the game,” he revealed.Â
With this win, Scotland is placed second in their group with a net run rate of +0.300. Scotland will now be aiming to grab either of the first two spots in the points table and advance to the super 12. Narrating the emotions of the team on the win, Coetzer said that it is a very special feeling to beat Bangladesh.
"It is a great feeling," he said. "We believed we can achieve this win. It didn't quite go all our way, but it is a special feeling to beat Bangladesh. We have been planning for this tournament for a long time. We only played together as a group two months ago, after waiting a long time following the qualifiers.Â