Drinnen dares to dream

It's a typical afternoon at the National Cricket Academy in Edinburgh, where a small, but fiercely energetic staff, are multi-tasking with a resolve that belies the governing body's dearth of finance.

A year ago this week, Craig Wright's team triumphed in the ICC Trophy, thereby securing World Cup qualification and earning automatic ODI status, whilst climbing to a global ranking of 12th. There were plenty of lofty promises about how the game was poised for all sorts of monetary windfalls, but as it transpired these forecasts sprung from the Wilkins Micawber School of economics.

The reality for Wright and the national coach, Peter Drinnen, is that they must keep advancing in spite of a system that is absurdly obsessed with medals, and seemingly designed to deny cricket any of the same advantages afforded to other pursuits.

Drinnen shrugs his shoulders when confronted with these issues. As somebody who inherited the job, in controversial circumstances, from Andy Moles, the Australian has stepped up to the plate in stirring fashion, orchestrating a series of victories for the Saltires in the revamped C&G Trophy and watching proudly as his charges rallied from 20 for 4 to push Pakistan hard at The Citylets Grange last month.

Elsewhere, concerns have been expressed as to the validity of the ICC's philosophy of introducing half-a-dozen new countries onto the ODI circuit - and the sceptics' fears were borne out by Sri Lanka amassing a record-breaking 443 runs in 50 overs against hapless Holland - but Drinnen is unrepentant in his assertion that Scotland has the ability to rise above Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Kenya in the next 18 months. If he was allowed access to a bigger annual budget than £180,000, there is no inherent reason why his personnel can't be beating anybody in the planet by the start of the next decade.

"Of course, we would benefit from extra cash," says Drinnen, "and I have the plans in place if it happens to create an A team, packed with 18, 19 and 20 year-olds, who would go to Bangladesh, to India and Sri Lanka, and test themselves in high-pressure contests, which would allow a natural progression through to the senior side.

"That contrasts starkly with the present situation where we are shoving in guys from the SNCL and expecting them to tackle professional rivals head-on but, to be fair, we have definitely increased our strength in depth in the last 12 months."

Drinnen highlighted the example of Neil McCallum, who made a conscious decision to put himself in the spotlight, thrived at the Grange, and forced himself into the Saltires' scene through sheer 100% commitment and application. It was he who marched to the crease at 20 for 4 against Pakistan, and proceeded to dig his side out of a huge hole with a gritty 68.

"I am always asking questions of players and Neil has responded," added Drinnen. "What I would ask of some others is: are you equally determined to invest in the hours of practice and demand an opportunity? Even six months ago, there were some individuals who probably imagined they had booked their World Cup berths, but I have told a lot of them to take nothing for granted.

"I have 18 or 19 names in my mind for 15 spots, and there is still time for one or two others to stick themselves in the frame, before the squad is announced in September. But if anybody is half-hearted, or believes they have enough talent to sit out net sessions, or doesn't understand they have to be fit, I am afraid they are in for a disappointment when the party is announced for the most intense period in Scotland's history."

Drinnen, a reticent character by nature, was disinclined to indulge in specific selection discussions. Nonetheless, he has been significantly impressed with Paul Hoffmann ("the lad has bowled beautifully"), Ryan Watson ("he refuses to stay out of any game"), whilst his warm words for Dewald Nel, Ross Lyons and Gavin Hamilton and for Wright and Dougie Brown's "innate professionalism" suggest that they can anticipate a winter abroad.

That winter could possibly begin with a trip to Bangladesh in November, followed by the inaugural World Cricket League, prior to meeting the UAE in the Intercontinental Cup. Then it's off to St Kitts for their hat-trick of World Cup assignments with Australia, South Africa and Holland.

It is a daunting schedule and one which promises to tax the players' employers and spouses alike. But if Drinnen is feeling the strain of existing on a shoestring budget, he is keeping it remarkably well-hidden.

"I know that some of the lads will have to make sacrifices and tough choices, which isn't ideal, and although we are grateful for the sponsorship of Lloyds TSB and the funding from Sportscotland, it would clearly be fantastic if we could offer contracts to seven or eight players and progress towards a scenario where they were full-time cricketers."

"All the same," he added, "I'm both pragmatic and excited about our prospects, because I genuinely, 100% reckon that we can have a very good Scottish cricket team for years to come, the foundations have been laid, and an awful lot of development has occurred in a short time. What we need now is the funding to take a big leap, instead of moving forward in short steps."

Drinnen's ultimate fantasy is for Scotland to take part in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which could even be held in Glasgow if their bid is successful. "If it is, then Twenty20 cricket could be included on the programme and we could have a pop at chasing a medal. Why not? If we can score 200-plus against Pakistan and have them at 93 for 5, without several of our key performers, why shouldn't we dare to dream?"

Drinnen is currently debating the logistics of sending a couple of players to Australia and two more to India this winter, as part of his fast-track policy. He may speak in measured tones, but this man is on a mission and has no truck with part-timers or pessimists.