Playing in front of nearly 42,000 fans in Kolkata felt like “cricket in a nightclub”, but returning home will feel like being “in a library”, said Scotland pacer Brad Currie, as he called for more opportunities against top-tier teams.

Scotland made a dramatic late entry into the ICC T20 World Cup after Bangladesh were removed from the competition for refusing to travel to India and placed in Group C, the associate nation impressed with competitive outings against England and the West Indies.

Reflecting on the atmosphere at Eden Gardens, Currie said the experience was unforgettable.

“In the England game, we had 40-50 thousand fans. For me, growing up as a kid, that’s a dream come true. It was the loudest game I’ve ever played. It genuinely felt like playing cricket in a nightclub,” he said.

He added that the atmosphere at Wankhede Stadium was equally special.

“That’s exactly what we want as players, playing in front of 40,000 people. It almost normalises it. But when we go back to Scotland, it’s going to feel like we’re playing in a library,” he quipped.

Currie echoed a common sentiment among Associate nations — the need for more high-level exposure.

“We grow from these experiences. Just give us more games like this. We love playing them and we want to entertain.”

Despite their late call-up, Currie dismissed suggestions that Scotland were underprepared.

“We had two warm-up games and plenty of net sessions. We were preparing for our Namibia series and Cricket World Cup League 2. I don’t think we were undercooked.”

Scotland captain Richie Berrington felt his team showed they belong on the big stage but admitted a lack of game-time at the highest level cost them in crucial moments.

“In three games, we got ourselves into strong positions. Maybe that lack of match time showed at key moments. If we had taken games deeper, we might have been on the right side of a few more results,” he said.

Also Read: “Till the final”: Shadab Khan’s old video resurfaces as Pakistan fight for survival

Berrington welcomed the expanded 20-team format, saying Associate teams once again proved their worth.

“There’s no surprise the associates have shown what they can do on the world stage. We just need more exposure against the bigger teams. More fixtures will only make us better.”

Meanwhile, Nepal ended their 12-year wait for a World Cup win, much to the delight of their travelling supporters.

Captain Rohit Paudel said the victory was especially meaningful after disappointing fans earlier in the tournament.

“After the England game, many fans came to watch, and we disappointed them. We wanted to give them a win and a smile because they travelled a long way to support Nepal,” he said.

“I’ll place this win very high because it took 12 years to win a World Cup game. It was our last league match and we really wanted to finish on a high.”