The In TernaTIonal game
Performance of the month
Calum MacLeod
140*, Scotland v England, ODI at Edinburgh
One surprising of recent years, given how
much talent there clearly is north of the
border, is how so few Scotland players
have established themselves on the county
circuit.
Several of the crop which humbled
England in the one-day international
at the Grange had trials at
Northamptonshire, but only Kyle Coetzer
was ever on the staff. And even Coetzer
was jettisoned by Northants in 2015,
after a run of confidence-sapping low
scores in the Championship. Happily, it
was the spur for him to become captain
of probably Scotland’s finest team, and
go on an amazing run of scoring.
Calum MacLeod was on Warwickshire’s
books in 2009, but was called for throwing,
and reinvented himself as a hard-hitting
batsman. (He may also be the only elite
cricketer banned for speaking Scots
Gaelic on the field, in a junior match for
Drumpellier.) Paul Collingwood, who did
some coaching with Scotland at the last
World Cup, was so impressed that he
tempted MacLeod to Durham, where he
scored heavily at 2nd XI level but not so
freely in the first team.
The metamorphosis is close to complete,
though. MacLeod has played some of the
most coruscating innings in Associate
cricket over the last five years, uppermost
the 157 not out to trip up Afghanistan in
the recent World Cup Qualifier. Were it notfor untimely rain in Harare, it probably
would have led them to the World Cup in
England next summer.
Cricket fans are well aware now how
much the leading Associate teams have
improved, and MacLeod laid it bare against
England. Because the track was so docile
and the boundaries so short, he was able
to sweep Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali to
distraction, and feasted on the short stuff
Liam Plunkett sent down in desperation.
It was a legside-heavy wagon wheel. But,
what was so impressive was how MacLeod
picked the gaps and evaded the fielders.
MacLeod is nearing 30, and there is no
guarantee that he will ever again play in a
50-over World Cup. Which is a travesty.
James Coyne PhiliP Brown/GettyimaGes1st Test p 82 2nd Test p 84 The Analyst p 86 World Stats p 88 Women’s cricket p 90
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