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Flying Scot leads Cup wicket-takers

Davey dominant as Associate nation relishes date with four-time world champions

While it’s undoubtedly been a batsmen’s World Cup so far, a number of bowlers have still put their hands up with outstanding individual performances.

But standing above the likes of Mitchell Starc and Tim Southee is the unlikely figure of Josh Davey, the unheralded Scot who has taken a tournament-high 14 wickets.

The 24-year-old, who made a county debut as a teenager for Middlesex and has since also represented Somerset, shot to the top of the charts when he snared 3-63 against the Sri Lankans in Hobart.

Leading wicket-takers 2015 World Cup
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It was an impressive triumvirate of wickets, too – none other than star performers Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene.

Davey’s 14 wickets equate to 37.84 per cent of his side’s total wickets taken (37), however they have failed to contribute to a victory for Scotland at this tournament, with the Associate nation losing all five matches to date.

And with their final opponents to be co-hosts Australia in Hobart on Saturday, the prospect of improving that record looks decidedly grim.

"We've got to believe we can compete," opener Kyle Coetzer said in relation to the Australia fixture after his side’s 148-run defeat to Sri Lanka yesterday.

"It's tough, you know, with the quality players we're coming up against, and it's a big learning curve for a number of our guys, and we definitely are taking strides forward.

"(Saturday is) a huge day for us," he said. "Why would we need to pick ourselves up? We're raring for it, and we want to put in a real performance and really show what we're made of."

Scotland’s World Cup campaign has also been tinged with controversy after it was revealed overnight that the country’s leading wicket-taker, Majid Haq, had been sent home for posting a race-related tweet following his non-selection for the Sri Lanka match.