Mommsen calls for 'level playing field'

Preston Mommsen, the Scotland captain, called on the ICC to provide "a level playing field" for Associate nations as they battle to compete with the Full Members in international cricket.

Scotland are making their third appearance in the World Cup after the 1999 and 2007 editions and Mommsen fears that the ICC's decision to reduce the number of teams involved in future tournaments from 14 to 10 and the recent changes at the ICC that could lead to a drop in funding would endanger their chances of becoming a better team.

"Coming into the tournament there's a lot of talk about Associates and whether or not they deserve a place," Mommsen said. "My view is it's a World Cup and of course they deserve a place.

But at the same time, we have to put performances in. We're not here to fill in the numbers. We take a lot of inspiration from what Ireland have done at previous World Cups. They found a way to stand up to the big teams and we'll be looking to do the same thing."

Mommsen was particularly uncomfortable with the low number of high-quality fixtures his side have played in recent times. While England have played 30 ODIs since the start of 2014, Scotland have played just 11 and only one of which was against a Full Member side. It means that, each time they qualify for a global event, they face a steep improvement in the quality of opposition.

"There's no question that we need to be exposed to higher level ODI cricket," he said. "If you compare our build-up to this tournament with the likes of New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Australia or England, the number of one day internationals they've played compared to the number we've played against Full-Member nations, you can't compare it.

"So in terms of a level playing field, I'm not sure that was quite level in the preparation we've been given. But we have to deal with that and we're doing our best to be best prepared for that first game against New Zealand."

The frustration for Mommsen and his team is that they feel they have the talent to cause an upset or two in the competition and, given a bit of assistance, cricket could develop very quickly in Scotland.

"We're the best prepared Scotland team that's left the shores, there's no doubt about that," he said. "We've got a fully-contracted 15 players and we're looking to make a mark on this world stage.

"This is obviously the next stage for us: coming to a world tournament and being put under a lot of pressure to perform. We view it as a crossroads. We're very excited about the next few years. There's some real quality in the 15 and hopefully we'll deliver.

"There is a huge market of cricket followers. Since qualifying 12 months ago, the profile has increased dramatically. We are getting a lot more support as a team. Social media has a huge part to play in that and, hopefully through good performance at this World Cup, we can see cricket grow and grow at a very quick level."

Victory over England would prove especially popular back in Scotland and Mommsen admitted that it was the fixture he was looking forward to.

"We want to win every game we play," he said. "But that England fixture is a very big one. The atmosphere is going to be a pretty good. Hopefully we'll get some home support as the underdogs, but that would be a game we'd love to turn them over in."