The cricket board of Scotland eliminated 15 players from their squad to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, and got a last-minute entry as Bangladesh withdrew due to security concerns. Richie Berrington remains captain and a combination of seasoned professionals and newcomers goes into the India-Sri Lanka shuffle between February 7 and March 8. Put in the third group with England, West Indies, Nepal and Italy, they open against West Indies in Eden Gardens on the opening day.
The squad combines 11 of their 2024 campaign holdovers including the explosiveness of George Munsey, the keeping of Matthew Cross, and all-round toughness of Michael Leask and Mark Watt; with any thrilling additions. Brandon McMullen is back as a power-hitter, following his debut performances, and uncapped seamer Zainullah Ihsan, an Afghanistan-born speedster who can now represent Scotland, grabs the headlines as the fastest. Younger players such as Tom Bruce (stability in middle order), Finlay McCreath (wicketkeeper-batter) and Oliver Davidson (pace option) have a fresh line of blood with the support of the swing of Bradley Currie and Bradley Wheal.
Reserves: Jack Achebe, George Hale, and Terence McLaughlin. Travelling reserves: Jasper Davidson, Jack Jarvis. Non-travelling: Mackenzie Jones, Chris McBride, Charlie Tear.
Owens Dawkins, who is the new coach, is looking to upset, as the 2024 failure to beat England (rained out at 90/0) and Namibia-Oman victories. The hand of Berrington is matched by the seam of Sharif and the spin of Greaves in balance. The X-factor of Ihsan has the potential to shake the heavyweights in Kolkata and Mumbai matches- Italy on Feb 9, England Feb 14 and Nepal Feb 17.
The CEO, Trudy Lindblade, says they are “absolutely prepared even during visa-flight rushes, having trained in winter but have no clue what India heat will bring as a wildcard. The depth of the squad meets the needs of T20: Munsey-McMullen up-the-top, Leask down-the-end, Watt-Wheal up-the-top. Being the next-best and a new qualifier, Scotland will disrupt the process like Australia did in 2024. Fans seize tickets; can they bust Group C? Star Sports broadcasts live.
