Scotland Cricket's Last Minute World Cup Call-up

The Saint spoke to the Scottish Cricket Team ahead of their late invitation to the T20 World Cup

Scotland accepted a formal invitation to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka just fourteen days before their first game, leaving them a tight turnaround to prepare for their first match against cricketing royalty — the West Indies, in Kolkata. 

The Saltires’ golden ticket came when Bangladesh withdrew from the tournament amid security concerns. The ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to move their games from India to co-hosts Sri Lanka amid political tensions in the sub-continent. As the next highest-ranked team, Scotland got the late call-up. 

Speaking to The Saint, Trudy Lindblade, CEO of Cricket Scotland, cited the “long days, late nights, and a lot of problem-solving” behind the ten-day turnaround. With the BBC running the headline, “No sponsor, kit on order and visa wait,” Lindblade was pleased to report that the team had secured a lead sponsor, distinctive kit, and a full house of visas: “Now we’re ready to play.” 

For the players, the last ten days have presented a different challenge: “It’s been about keeping calm, but enjoying the excitement,” Scotland’s frontline spinner Mark Watt told The Saint. “We’ve got a lot of young players [on] our team at the moment,” said Watt. “Ten days ago, they were sitting in the house, and now here we are in India at the World Cup. It’s amazing.” 

The team has been keeping themselves busy over the winter. Wicketkeeper Matthew Cross was in the process of renovating his house when his side got the nod; others had spent the last month in an indoor fitness programme. 

“The squad had already been training in preparation for upcoming tours,” Linblade reflected positively on the team’s condition. “Given the circumstances, they’re in good shape.” 

Some of the Scottish squad are well accustomed to playing overseas already. Explosive batting all-rounder Brandon McMullen represented Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International League T20 throughout the winter. Others have competed in domestic T20 tournaments in New Zealand and Nepal, with Watt himself representing Karnali in the Nepal Premier League through November and December.

Defeats to Afghanistan and Namibia in warm-up games last week presented a harsh introduction to the subcontinental conditions, yet strong individual performances with the bat from McMullen and captain Richie Berrington provide optimism ahead of the challenges of the tournament. 

Scotland’s group includes West Indies, Italy, England, and Nepal, with the top two teams progressing to the knockout stage.  

“We feel we can win games here,” said Watt. “We’ve done it before at World Cups, and we’ve beaten all the teams in our group in the recent past.”

Despite their failure in the qualifiers, Scotland are currently ahead of both Italy and Nepal in the T20 world rankings, so they stand an outside chance of progression if England or the West Indies falter. 

“I don’t think teams will take us lightly, as we’ve created a few upsets ourselves in the past,” he added. “We know we’ve got world-class players in our squad, who can perform on the biggest stage and against the best teams.”

For football fans, this is a strikingly familiar story: Denmark received a similar invitation just ten days before Euro ’92, replacing Yugoslavia. Against all odds, they went on to win the tournament. 

The story behind Scotland’s inclusion has already brought success, raising the profile of Scottish cricket internationally. “Our challenge now is to turn that into impact at home, inspiring more people to get involved and helping us discover the next Richie Berrington or Kathryn Bryce,” said Lindblade.

Scotland enters the competition free from the pressure of expectation, and with an unpredictable format like T20, there’s every chance they might upset the applecart. 

Image provided by Cricket Scotland