Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer insists his side will not be overawed when they take on Pakistan on Friday.
The 29-year-old Northamptonshire batsman was this week named as the successor to retired skipper Gordron Drummond and his first job will be to lead the side out against Pakistan in the first of two one-day Internationals at the Grange in Edinburgh.
“Our guys will have seen a lot of their players on TV, so we have got some footage of that and we are doing our preparation on the threats that will come at us,” said Coetzer. “But we’ve got to remember that they are humans, just like us. They may play consistently more cricket than us but they can be beaten like any other side.”
The tourists will come packing a formidable line-up that includes Saeed Ajmal – arguable the world’s best spinner at present – but minus big-hitting batsman Shahid Afridi.
Nonetheless, Coetzer is well aware of the talents possessed by the side ranked sixth in the world for ODIs by the International Cricket Council but he insists the 50-over contests on Friday and on Sunday are both winnable.
He said: “Playing against Pakistan is a great occasion for the team but winning the match should be our main motivation, not just the fact we are playing a team of well-known players.”
Coetzer’s first outing as permanent captain comes 10 years on from his international bow, which was against Pakistan at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow.
And the former Durham man says he is determined to lead by example.
“I’ve done a bit of vice-captain work before and had to take over a couple of times but this will my first match as skipper in a full ODI,” he explained.
“That brings its own pressures. We go out to win every game we can and I’m going to try and do everything I can in my power to make that possible for the lads.”