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New Delhi: Scotland are ready to play in the T20 World Cup and have initiated efforts to land in host country India immediately.
Scotland received a late invitation from the International Cricket Council to replace Bangladesh following their refusal to play in India.
Bangladesh cited security concerns over reluctance to travel to India for three group stage games in Kolkata and Mumbai and requested shift of them to tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka.
But ICC declined citing its assessment report of no significant security threat and escalating costs involved and informed Bangladesh Cricket Board of removal on Saturday.
Scotland took their place as per the latest rankings and Cricket Scotland’s chief executive Trudy Lindblade expressed gratitude towards the ICC for inclusion in the 20-team tournament.
“Earlier today I received correspondence from the ICC asking if our men’s team would play at the Men’s T20 World Cup, and we have accepted,” Lindblade said on Cricket Scotland’s website.
“We are grateful to the ICC for extending this invite. This is an exciting opportunity for Scotland’s players to compete on the global stage in front of millions of supporters. We also acknowledge this opportunity has arisen out of challenging and unique circumstances.
“Our squad have been training for some weeks in preparation for upcoming tours and are now preparing to arrive in India imminently to acclimatise to local conditions, ready to play and contribute to what should be a fantastic ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” she added.
ICC chairman Jay Shah called Cricket Scotland chairman Wilf Walsh to confirm their participation but would need a bit of time to announce their 15-member squad for the competition that begins on February 7.
“The ICC has confirmed Scotland will replace Bangladesh in Group C, after Bangladesh withdrew from the competition. Details around squad selection for the tournament will be shared in the coming days,” Cricket Scotland said.
“I welcomed a call from ICC Chair Jay Shah earlier today confirming that Scotland will receive an invitation to play at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. I was pleased to accept on behalf of our team, who are willing and ready to go,” Walsh said.
“We thank the ICC for this opportunity and look forward to competing with some of the best sides in the world in India in the coming weeks.”
