AS WINTERS go, this one doesn’t get any bigger for Cleckheaton star Iain Wardlaw.

The former Yorkshire fast bowler is preparing to spearhead Scotland’s bid to spring a surprise at the one-day World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, starting in mid-February.

He is hoping to tie Alastair Cook’s England in knots when they meet in Christchurch on February 23.

But in the build-up to the tournament, Wardlaw is tying his own knot before jetting off to a training camp in Dubai next month.

“I’m getting married on Sunday to my fiancee, Charlotte,” explained the 29-year-old, who was released from his contract at Headingley in March.

“It’s a busy time, even though it’s a month of downtime away from cricket, but I booked it two years ago when nothing was on the agenda at that stage.”

Wardlaw’s career with Yorkshire struggled to take off having been plucked from Bradford League cricket midway through the 2011 season.

Although there were obvious highlights, such as his performances at the Champions League t20 competition in South Africa in late 2012, he could not nail down a regular first-team place.

Initially, he left the county looking to go back into full-time employment but is now centrally contracted to Cricket Scotland ahead of what he describes as “the pinnacle of where we’re going to be and what we’re going to do”.

Scotland are in Pool A with Australia, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and he said: “It’s massive for us. It just rewards the hard work and development that’s gone in over the last two years.

“The side’s grown massively in terms of experience and talent. The guys have really put the hard work in and we’re getting a little bit back now from the games we’re playing and the performances we’re putting in.

“It’s coming together better now than it was two years ago when I first came into the squad.

“The side’s worked hard, and everyone’s really excited to get out there and show what we can do.”

With only four out of seven teams qualifying for the quarter-finals, Scotland will have to shock an established side and, realistically, beat Bangladesh and Afghanistan to get through.

Wardlaw, however, is confident they can do it.

“Definitely,” he added. “If we go into the competition thinking we’ll be happy to win one or two games, that’s not the best mindset.

“We believe we can beat some of the top teams. If we play well, we can beat England. If we beat one of the big sides and win the other games, we can push through to the knockouts.”