Watson fires up Scotland

Ryan Watson is keen to lead by example when the ICC World Twenty20 starts next week

Scotland captain Ryan Watson insists he will inspire a performance to make the country proud at the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa.

The hard-hitting batsman took over as captain from Craig Wright, who stood down following Scotland’s disappointing displays at the World Cup earlier this year.

Watson and the rest of the squad flew out to Dubai on Wednesday before travelling on to Johannesburg, where they will begin their Twenty20 campaign against Pakistan on September 12.

He said: “I’d like the team to do well first and foremost. It would be nice from a personal point of view to be able to contribute to a win. That would be a bonus.

“If I can get 10 other individuals playing well and I have a bad tournament but the team does well then I’ve done my job as skipper.

“I like to lead from the front as a player and hopefully I can put in a few good performances at the top of the order.”

The 30-year-old admits his role as captain brings extra responsibility but he does not anticipate having to rally the rest of the players ahead of the tournament.

He added: “There’s not really a lot that needs to be said to get spirits lifted. We are pretty up for it.

“Probably telling the guys not to focus too much on who we are playing against but to focus on the job in hand will be important.

“What we are going to face out there is massive crowds. That’s going to be a daunting factor for us but it it’s also something that should spur us on.

“The players must stick to what they are good at focus on what they can do and try to do it to the best of their ability.

“Everything is to play for, including the financial gains of getting through. But also as individuals we want to do as well as we can.”