ACCORDING to David Richardson, the chief executive of the ICC, "Every match should be very competitive and having ten teams at the 2019 World Cup will make sure that will be the case."

So far this tournament, England have highlighted how disingenuous Richardson's justification for the planned contraction of the World Cup is. The two most one-sided games so far in the competition have both featured England being thumped - first by Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and then, far more abjectly, by New Zealand at Wellington. This was less a defeat than an evisceration. After a painfully timid start, England lost seven wickets for 19 runs to Tim Southee's swing bowling in front of an increasingly raucous crowd. Then came Brendon McCullum's astounding assault: 77 off just 25 balls.

"We are being exposed," a chastened Eoin Morgan admitted. "We envisaged, or foresaw, a future of having lost our first two games but not by these amounts."

For Scotland the upshot is simple: the most opportune time imaginable to play England in a World Cup. Their own defeat to New Zealand, by three wickets on Tuesday, has been put in fresh perspective, especially as the conditions during Scotland's 142 all out against the Kiwis were far more conducive to swing than during England's woeful 123 all out. In both matches New Zealand's approach to the target was one of machismo-filled aggression, yet, with Josh Davey and Iain Wardlaw taking three wickets apiece, it was one that Scotland coped with far more admirably.

Odds on a Scotland victory on Monday were cut to 8-1 in the aftermath of England's humiliation. Paul Collingwood, who has done so much to engender Scotland's players with new self-belief during his 17 months involved in the set-up, is eyeing up a victory over his country. "At the moment England seem to be playing at about 30 or 40 per cent of their potential. You know there's so much more in the locker and confidence-wise they're not there," he said. "There's real confidence and belief we can get a win. It's genuine because the guys are getting closer and closer against international opposition."

Scotland have faced Test-playing sides on three occasions this winter: the three-wicket defeat to New Zealand, and warm-up games lost by just three runs, to the West Indies two weeks ago, and one run, to a New Zealand XI in October.

So the notion that Scotland could better England in Christchurch is not an entirely fanciful one. Nine of the Scottish squad - all of whom are professional cricketers - has experience of county cricket. Never have so many Scots played in county cricket, and the experience has helped to harden this group of cricketers.

While Scotland are grateful for the exposure county cricket has provided its leading talents, there is also a lingering feeling that England has done rather less to develop Scottish cricket than it should have. Bangladesh were awarded Test status in 2000, two years after losing a series 2-0 in Scotland, yet England never showed any inclination to push the claims of Scotland - even in the medium-term - to Test status.

And the ECB's current attitude to Scotland is indicative of the myopia, short-termism and narrow self-interest that is the hallmark of international cricket administration today. In exchange for Scotland agreeing not to host ODIs that clash with England matches, England visit Scotland for an ODI every two years. But this is a game at a date of England's choosing - which is why last year's ODI in Aberdeen was played in early May - and there is no indication of England even contemplating a modest sop to leading European associates, like a biannual week-long T20 tournament.

In 1999, a more enlightened era, Scotland hosted two matches in the World Cup (and Ireland and the Netherlands hosted one game apiece). Yet, despite the dramatic improvement in cricket in all three of these nations, none will be granted any games in 2019, when England and Wales next host the World Cup. Scotland's chances of making that event are also severely diminished by the plans to make it a ten-team affair, something that Gilles Clarke is "hell-bent" on, according to a senior ICC source.

And the restructuring of county cricket, for the 2014 season, resulted in Scotland no longer fielding a team in one-day county cricket. "The ECB were quite keen not to involve Scotland and Holland," said Roddy Smith, the former chief executive of Cricket Scotland.

All of would make a Scottish victory in Christchurch particularly sweet. If there is one, an English-born batsman is likely to play a big part. Matt Machan, Brighton raised to two Scottish parents, was utterly unfazed by the wreckage of 12-4 against New Zealand. He aligned tenacity of the sort that made Collingwood into such a successful international cricketer with the chutzpah, power and range of shots that prompted his skipper Preston Mommsen to liken him to David Warner. That Machan was palpably dejected after falling for 56 said much for his self-belief, ambition and talent.

If he can produce something even more substantive against England - especially if Calum MacLeod lasts rather longer than the solitary ball he managed against New Zealand - Scotland might just have a realistic chance of overturning the Auld Enemy.

As Ireland in the 2011 World Cup, and Netherlands in the World T20s in 2009 and 2014 would testify, England are notoriously susceptible to upsets. After a wait stretching back 5762 days since their first World Cup game in 1999, there would be no better opponent for Scotland to register their first World Cup win against.