Chris Greaves was an Amazon Delivery executive but he will now be remembered for his all-round exploits that gave Scotland an epic win against Bangladesh in the ICC World T20 2021 qualifier.
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The South Africa exodus to many cricket nations is an acknowledged fact. Be it New Zealand, England or Australia, South Africa cricketers have gone to several nations to ply their trade and get better exposure. Scotland is also included in the list. Kyle Coetzer is the captain of the side but he is from South Africa. However, there was one more South Africa-born cricketer that gave Scotland their greatest day on October 17, 2021.
Scotland has had very few good days in cricket. When they defeated England in an ODI for the first time, it was hailed as a momentous occasion in their history. In ICC events, apart from 1999 and 2015, they have not had an impact in any other tournament. But, everything changed on October 17. All thanks to one player.
Born in Johannesburg on October 12, 1990, Chris Greaves had moved to Scotland for a better life. Initially, he was an Amazon delivery executive and was going about his job routine for a couple of years. But, when he was selected to play in the ICC World T20 2021, Chris Greaves scripted one of the best moments in the history of Scotland cricket. This also had his captain waxing lyrical on his contributions.
Chris Greaves had played a couple of List A games for Scotland A during the series against Ireland A at Wicklow in 2019. However, the coronavirus pandemic hit cricket and associate nations hard as cricket was halted. Cricket for the Associate nations was at its lowest ebb during the pandemic. But, it reached a boom after the pandemic eased to a certain extent. Greaves had not gotten much cricket in the interim. Thus, it was a shock when he was included in the Scotland team for the ICC World T20 2021.
Scotland had to face Bangladesh in the first match at the Al-Amerat cricket stadium in Oman. Bangladesh had come off two huge Twenty20 International series wins against Australia and New Zealand at home. They were expected to dominate Scotland. After they won the toss, Bangladesh was all over Scotland, reducing them to 53/6 in the 12th over. Shakib Al Hasan created history by becoming the leading wicket-taker in T20Is by overtaking Lasith Malinga. He got the wickets of Richie Berrington and Michael Leask to ensure Bangladesh had the edge.
But, Greaves hung in and showed calmness. He hit a four off Afif Hossain but showed his intent with a big six off Mehidy Hasan. Mark Watt gave him good company as the duo stitched a solid fifty-run stand in quick time. When Mott fell, Greaves raised his game. He blasted a six and two fours off Taskin Ahmed to near his fifty. However, in the final over, Mustafizur Rahman dismissed Greaves for 45 but his exploits had ensured Scotland ended on 140/9.
Bangladesh made a bad start as Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar fell cheaply. Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib, the two stalwarts of Bangladesh cricket, were at it again as they looked to rebuild the side. But, Greaves changed the whole complexion of the match. In the 12th over, Greaves, who bowls leg spin, got the massive wicket of Shakib Al Hasan for 20. This gave Scotland a massive opening.
In another opening, Greaves got the massive wicket of Rahim as he missed the paddle sweep. The earlier over from Mark Watt had seen only one run come off the over. Greaves conceded only five runs in his third over as he had figures of 3-0-19-2. When Bradley Wheal and Mark Watt kept things tight towards the end, Bangladesh ended up needing 25 runs from the last over. Safyaan Sharif held his nerve in the final over and Scotland had won a big match by six runs.
This was the second time in their history that Scotland had won a match in an ICC event. In the last qualifier match against Hong Kong in the 2016 ICC World T20, they won by eight wickets in Nagpur. But, this win is big for a number of reasons.
The exploits by Scotland and Oman in the format show that Associate Nations can deliver a thrilling result and match when the situation demands. The problem is that elite nations have monopolized the cricket calendar in such a way that Associate Nations have no way to showcase their talent on a regular basis. But, the first day of ICC World T20 2021 has already shown that Associate Nations deserve regular attendance in the top drawer of world cricket. The results will come if there is consistency in appearances.
