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Hamilton looks to restore Scottish pride

LONDON - Scotland captain Gavin Hamilton hopes the World Twenty20 will enable his side to get back on track following their surprise failure to qualify for the 2011 World Cup.

Long one of the most consistent nations outside the Test elite, a run of poor results during the recent 2011 qualifying tournament in South Africa saw Scotland fail to make it to the showpiece event in Asia.

Ryan Watson was stripped of the captaincy and in his place came all-rounder Hamilton, whose one and only Test appearance a decade ago for England saw him fail to take a wicket and record a pair against South Africa in Johannesburg.

Now 34, Hamilton’s career in England was to suffer dramatically when a move from Yorkshire to Durham saw him get what golfers would term the ‘yips’ with his seam bowling.

But he has been able to continue his Scotland career and now Hamilton hopes a new-look side can give a good account of themselves in a Group D also featuring South Africa and New Zealand.

“We’re realistic about our chances of winning games, but if there’s ever a game to win, it’s Twenty20 because the whole thing can turn around in two or three overs,” he said.

“It’s a case of having people playing well and hopefully catching teams on a semi-bad day.”

Scotland face England in a warm-up match on Tuesday at Trent Bridge but Hamilton said his 1999 experience would not be something he would dwell on.

“That was a long time ago,” he said. “I had my ups and downs thinking about that in the couple of years after it. But not now.

“It was an experience I’d like to change but I came away from that tour a better cricketer.”