Cricket: Jean Symes to bolster Scots for one-day campaign

PROLIFIC all-rounder Jean Symes, who has been playing with Highveld Lions in South Africa, has been recruited as the Scottish Saltires overseas professional for their 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 campaign.

Symes, 25, replaces George Worker, who was selected for the New Zealand Emerging Player programme in February. He will also play for Eastern Premier League outfit, Watsonians.

Symes has been playing domestic cricket for the Highveld Lions and Gauteng. His attacking batting style has amassed 5,000 first class runs while also taking 100 wickets at that level.

He represented South Africa in the Under-19 World Cup in 2006, where he turned in a man of the match performance against a Scotland side that featured current national players Calum MacLeod and Gordon Goudie.

He has also had a previous stint in the UK, playing for Norden CC in the Lancashire leagues, where he had two impressive seasons, scoring almost 2,500 runs – including an innings where he scored 268 not out in 50 overs against Royton CC.

Cricket Scotland chief executive, Roddy Smith said: “We are delighted to have secured Jean to replace George Worker. As a top order batter and left-arm spinner, he was exactly the type of cricketer we were looking for.”

Meanwhile, the Scots launch their T20 qualifying campaign against Kenya in Dubai today – the first match of a gruelling schedule featuring a potential nine games in 11 days.

Sixteen teams are competing for just two places at the World Cup in Sri Lanka later in the year, and Saltires assistant coach Tony Judd believes Gordon Drummond’s side must be bold to claim the prize.

Judd said: “We have to play with absolutely no fear and be prepared to take risks. The margins between success and failure are smaller in T20 than in any other format of the game and we will need to play with intensity from start to finish of each match.”

The Saltires’ eight-team group also features tournament favourites Ireland, dark horses USA along with dangerous African nations Namibia and Uganda. But Judd, also Scotland’s video analyst, claims even apparent minnows Oman and Italy cannot be treated lightly.

The Italians have been boosted by the selection of Judd’s fellow Tasmanian Michael di Venuto, the former Aussie Test player.

Middlesex all-rounder Gareth Berg also qualifies for the Italians and Judd added: “There will be no easy games in this tournament. One guy is capable of winning a T20 game on his own as compared to four or five you need to click in 50-over cricket. I’ve watched all the teams and they all have potential match-winners. But so do we and our guys will be told to risk losing games in order to win them.” The Saltires have suffered several setbacks in the build-up to the tournament, losing two 50-over matches to the UAE last week before Middlesex all-rounder Josh Davey pulled out of the squad through injury.

Their problems were compounded when experienced batsman Fraser Watts was banned for today’s opener after an altercation with UAE captain Khurram Khan during the second one-day clash. However, they are boosted by recent improved results in the shortest form of the game, including a 4-1 series win against Namibia last October and a fine victory over Sri Lanka A a fortnight ago.