INTERVIEW
Follow UsScotland pushed Australia close in the T20 World Cup earlier this year in St. Lucia when they made the former champions sweat in pursuit of 181. Australia eventually rode on Travis Head and Marcus Stoinis to get over the line with two balls to spare. Their star spinner, Mark Watt, reckoned that they can potentially take a lot from that game and implement it as the Scots gear up for a three-match T20 Internationals (T20I) series against Australia in Edinburgh.
Ollie Hairs, the hard-hitting opening batter, was part of the Scotland side, but unfortunately, he did not get a game in the entire tournament. Hairs was Scotland’s first-choice opener ahead of the T20 World Cup, but Michael Jones got the opportunity at the top after some good showings with Durham and grabbed his opportunity with both hands.
Also Read: Michael Jones sets sight on Scotland's opening spot
While admitting it's frustrating, Hairs’ focus is now on doing whatever it takes to get back to the side.
“We are a pretty close-knit group. We've got players coming in and out based on their availability with the county stuff. We had some quality players coming in after the Qualifiers. Talks [with captain & coach] were very upfront and honest on feedback and where I need to work on to get back into the side,” Hairs said in a chat with Cricket.com ahead of the Australia T20Is.
“That's been something I have been working on after the World Cup. We've got a collective focus on performing at the top level and beat these top teams. Obviously frustrating not playing, but you get over that, and focus on the group and what's best for the team.”
Batting down the order as he has done earlier in his career could be an option. But the question is, where does he fit in? From three to seven, Scotland have a pretty set line-up with the likes of Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross, Michael Leask and Chris Greaves occupying those spots. The fact that Scotland have retained their T20 World Cup squad also shows the amount of trust they have and do not want to tinker with a set combination.
As a result, will Hairs continue to warm the bench this time around, too? He has hinted at conversations behind closed doors about the possibility of batting in the middle-order at some point.
“That's something we have discussed - Just try to keep it simple, whether that's coming in at the top or at the end,” Hairs, who scored an unbeaten 127 off 53 in Edinburgh last year during the Qualifiers, said.
“My game will remain pretty similar. Always opened, but was batting at three a little bit and then in the middle for a little bit. That's a conversation that Doug [Watson, head coach] and me had how to develop my game further. That's something I have been focussing on over last few weeks as well.”
The southpaw, who has a T20I strike rate of 172.84, is pretty well-suited to bat lower down the order, given his big-hitting skills, potentially as a finisher. What sort of work goes on to develop such skills?
“I try to keep it as simple as possible. It's all about being as still as possible in my setup, and I just focus on hitting through the ball,” Hairs, who has also been coaching the U-15s, U-17s and U-19s boys and girls in the pathway system with former Scotland skipper Gordon Drummond, said.
“I've got loads of drills I have been doing over the years to do that. Then it's about having that clear plan in place and that confidence to execute that in the game. That's not my only part in the game, although it might look like it [chuckles].
“I am trying to develop as many skills as possible with discussions of me possibly moving down the order, how I can do that against different bowling that's not powerplay bowling. It’s been a good challenge. As a player, you like to develop and challenge yourself as much as possible, and it's something I've been enjoying.”
For various reasons, Australia will be without some of their star players like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. While that does cut down Australia’s experience in the tournament, Hairs believes that their replacements are not to be taken lightly.
“They've got quite a bit of strength and depth, to be fair. When you miss out on those big names, similar names come through,” the 33-year-old said.
“They've got a big squad. Lads have been playing in franchise stuff, The Hundred, and Big Bash for years. They've got quality players, and they'll still be a good challenge, hopefully, I can step up and execute my skills as best as possible.”
With Scotland chasing yet another T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup qualification, their depth is of the essence. The series against Australia could be a litmus test for them to judge where they stand at the moment. Hairs may not be in the thick of things now, but he certainly has a role to play for Scotland in upcoming marquee events.
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