NEW DELHI: Scotland spinner Mark Watt on Friday said he felt for the Bangladesh players after they were forced to miss the T20 World Cup due to their government’s stance, but stressed that Scotland, who were drafted in at the last moment, fully deserved their spot in the tournament.
Watt also backed his side to pull off a few surprise results during the competition.
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Scotland are set to face West Indies in a Group C fixture at the Eden Gardens on Saturday and will be keen to start their campaign on a positive note after initially failing to qualify and then being included following the ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh.
"We're very sympathetic towards the Bangladesh players. But we still massively believe that we should be here and we believe that we can be beating teams higher ranked than us. So there's no second guessing our invite into this tournament. We're all ready to go," said the left-arm spinner, who has featured in 77 T20Is.
Last-minute call, fresh motivation
Bangladesh were excluded after declining to travel to India, citing security concerns. They held India responsible for the situation, which intensified after Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from his IPL contract following instructions from the BCCI.
Watt admitted the sudden turn of events meant Scotland had to prepare at short notice, but said the squad was now buzzing with excitement and eager to make the opportunity count.
"We got a lot of youngsters in the team at the moment and how more excited can they be. Ten days ago they were sitting and doing nothing, now they're here in India playing in a World Cup, it's absolutely amazing for them.
"We're all so excited to be here and ready to go," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
