The chief executive of Cricket Scotland hopes the north-east public can help the national team get off to a winning start in their bid to reach the 2023 World Cup.
Scotland tackle Oman at Mannofield tomorrow and Sunday and Papua New Guinea on Saturday and Tuesday in their opening Cricket World Cup League Two matches.
The fixtures are the first in the qualification process for the next World Cup in India in four years.
Malcolm Cannon, chief executive of the national governing body, hopes the north-east cricketing public give the Saltires the support to get off to a winning start in these qualifiers in what are the first international games at Mannofield for five years.
He said: “It’s a quality venue, a great track and has hosted some fantastic internationals in the past.
“It’s important we get back to hosting internationals in the north-east and it gives a cricket-passionate public up here the chance to see some top level cricket.
“It’s important to give people the opportunity to see it. We have a great support of people from the north-east when we play in Edinburgh.
“A lot of people travel and it will be nice to bring international cricket closer to home.
“It’s not as easy operationally. We have to decant a lot of equipment and people up the road, but it’s exciting.
“And at the moment it looks like we’ve got a chance of getting all six games played with the weather.
“It’s really important for the guys on the pitch if the crowd turns out and backs them.
“It’s so important for the professional athletes to play in front of a crowd. The whole point of being a professional athlete is that you’re an entertainer.
“They want to entertain the public. We’ve had some really good crowds in Edinburgh and we hope for the same in Aberdeen with people turning out to support the international side.
“It will be a great day out and there should be some entertaining cricket against good sides.
“Oman have come on a long way in recent years so they will be a tough ask. I hope the people show there is still the passion for the game in the north-east.”
Cannon says Scotland, under new coach Shane Burger, have set their sights on winning World Cup League Two, which will be played between seven teams until January 2022.
Cannon, who steps down after four years as chief executive in September, added: “We’ve set our sights very much at winning Cricket World Cup League Two.
“We’re competing with the other six nations, who like ourselves are immediately behind the Test nations in the world rankings.
“It is the route to the World Cup and effectively winning it gives you a route into the 2023 World Cup.
“Winning it also gives you the chance to play for a place in Cricket World Cup League One, which means playing all the top nations in ODIs.
“This is exciting and a great opportunity to do well. To win it we want to put on a show of excellence which shows we’re formidable.
“We want to win all our games and we should win our home matches, we’re playing top quality teams and they will be tough games.
“But we believe we can win this league and to do that we need to do well in all matches, but especially at home.”
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