WALLACE UPBEAT AFTER THAILAND TOUR
Scotland's players can take heart from their performances at the ICC Emerging Nations Trophy, according to Head Coach Craig Wallace.
The Scots lost to hosts Thailand by three wickets on Sunday, to miss out on the chance of winning the inaugural tournament for leading Associate Nations. It was a second consecutive defeat after falling to Netherlands on Friday, which meant Scotland finished fourth in the competition, but equal on points with winners Thailand, UAE and Netherlands.
Having won the Quad Cup warmup series upon arrival in Thailand, Scotland embarked on a seven-match winning streak before the weekend setbacks, but Wallace has been encouraged by the skills and teamwork that were on display across the tour.
Some of the highlights included five-wicket hauls for Olivia Bell and Chloe Abel, three match-winning half centuries from Darcey Carter, an international debut for Mollie Parker, the return to international cricket of Niamh Robertson-Jack after long term injury and outstanding fielding across the team from start to finish.
"It's been an excellent tournament for us in a number of ways, firstly in terms of playing together again for the first time since April," said Wallace.
"We've played some good cricket across the tour against some very good teams, and it's been really enjoyable. We've had some good moments but then obviously some other moments where we need to improve, such as today. All credit to Thailand for the way they showed up today, and for playing well across the tournament, but for us it's just been excellent to play some high quality cricket again."
The countdown is now on to the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier, which will begin in early January in Nepal. The Scots know a repeat of the strong performances they've produced during the last three weeks will put them in the mix for qualification, with the prize of a place at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in England next June at stake.
"There are some things that we will look to improve upon before we head to Nepal, but equally there's been some stuff that I'm really excited about," said Wallace.
"For us now, it's about getting home, recovering and then working together to plan and prepare over the next four to six weeks, and then it's full steam ahead for Nepal."