'Searching for a full performance' - Coetzer

Scotland's vice-captain Kyle Coetzer has described the World Cup as "a big learning curve" for the team, but he believes they can be competitive in their final match of the tournament, against Australia in Hobart on Saturday. Scotland are still searching for the first win in their World Cup history, and their hopes of achieving it against the co-hosts appear slim.

Scotland have played Australia three times in the past decade and their margins of defeat - 203 runs, 189 runs and 200 runs - are discouragingly consistent. Last time, Mitchell Johnson caused problems by taking 4 for 36 in Edinburgh in 2013 and Scotland were bowled out for 162; Johnson looms as a serious threat this time too, along with Mitchell Starc.

"Everyone has thought about it," Coetzer said of the prospect of facing 150kph bowlers such as Johnson. "But at this stage we've done all our training, all our hard work has been put in, and you've just got to back yourselves to play on the day. The more things you put in your head now, I think that could either put a bit of extra pressure on or make you more concerned about it.

"We've just got to back ourselves. They're the same as anyone else. They run up and try and get you out. We can't think much further than that. We've just got to back our abilities and the hard work that we've put in."

Scotland have impressed at times in this tournament: they got within three wickets of beating New Zealand, within one wicket of Afghanistan and posted 318 against Bangladesh. Against Sri Lanka in Hobart on Wednesday, their bowlers lacked the firepower to keep Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan quiet, although Freddie Coleman and Preston Mommsen fought hard with the bat.

"We've got to believe we can compete," Coetzer said. "I think we have shown with that 100-run partnership and a few decent spells with the ball in a number of these games that we're more than capable of putting in a solid performance. What we've been searching for is a full performance, a good performance with the bat, in the bowling innings doing the same thing.

"It's tough with the quality of players we're coming up against, it's a big learning curve for a number of our guys. We definitely are taking strides forward. I think not only us but the other Associate sides have really shown that we've moved forwards in the last four years."

All things considered, Wednesday was not a great day for Scotland: spinner Majid Haq was sent home for a disciplinary breach and they suffered a 148-run defeat. But Coetzer it would not be hard to get motivated again in the two days between games.

"We've had two big games for us that we just unfortunately didn't manage to get over the line," he said. "They were very tough to pick ourselves up and try to go again. But for us, you know, we're playing against Australia the next game. It's a huge day for us. Why would we need to pick ourselves up? We're raring for it, and we want to put in a real performance and really show what we're made of."