Cup veteran back with greenhorns

“I’ve been around for quite a few years now, but I’m still excited to be a part of the World Cup.”

In the late 1990s, he played for England in nine one-day internationals, and counted Brian Lara as one of his wickets. “Playing for England was my first opportunity at the international level and I took it,” Brown said. “At that point there was not much happening for Scottish cricket so I took the chance to play for England.

“Nobody can change the fact that I played for England and I had a chance to rub shoulders with some of the best players in the world. I was disappointed I didn’t get more of an opportunity, but here I am today, being handed a great opportunity to play for Scotland.”

Brown made his name at Warwickshire in the English county championship. In a career spanning over two decades he has made 8,511 runs and taken 567 wickets in 209 first-class matches.

“I have been lucky to have had a wonderful career with Warwickshire,” he said. “So even though I was not handed the opportunities I thought I would have had with England, I have I moved on to pastures new and I’m delighted.”

He said Scotland won’t be doormats for fellow Group A sides South Africa and Australia, the world’s two leading teams.

“We are about to embark on something which is very, very special. Coming from a small cricket nation we are very excited to be participating in the World Cup against the big boys, this is fantastic,” Brown said.

“The Scotland team might not be well known to the world, but we are no pushovers. We have some players who are match-winners and even though we know it will be quite tough to topple the Aussies or the South Africans, we know once we plan well, we can give then a very good run.”