Michael Jones and Brad Wheal named in Scotland squad for Men’s T20 World Cup

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Glasgow, May 6 (IANS) Scotland have included batter Michael Jones and fast-bowler Brad Wheal in their squad for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup, set to happen in the West Indies and USA from June 1.

Jones and Wheal, currently playing for Durham and Hampshire respectively in the county championship in England, have not been included in Scotland's squad for their T20 tri-series against the Netherlands and Ireland this month, but have made the cut for the showpiece event in the shortest format.

Bowler Gavin Main, who is in the tri-series squad, is missing from the World Cup trip, so is medium-pacer Josh Davey, who is turning out for Somerset in the County Championship. “It was a really difficult selection meeting, and it’s never easy getting it down to a squad of fifteen. I think it was ultimately about getting the balance of the squad just right and we feel we’ve done that here.”

“It’s good that we’ve got some of our county players available, and we are really excited with the fifteen we’ve chosen, so now we can look forward to what lies ahead. To have Michael Jones and Brad Wheal available, their experience from previous T20 World Cups is crucial for the group. I’m looking forward to meeting them both, getting to know them and seeing their skills up close,” said Doug Watson, Scotland head coach, in a statement.

All of Scotland’s Group B matches will take place in the Caribbean, starting from their opening match of the tournament in what will be their first-ever men’s T20I meeting against England on June 4 at Kensington Oval in Barbados, almost six years to the day after famously beating their neighbours in an unforgettable 50-over encounter in Edinburgh.

They will then face Namibia on June 6 in Barbados and Oman on June 9 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, before playing their last group match against recently crowned ODI World Cup champions Australia on June 15 at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia.

“The bulk of the squad have been together for a while now and did a fantastic job last summer at both the 50-over Qualifier and the T20 Qualifier. It’s nice to have a bit of continuity along the way, although they haven’t played a lot of cricket since. Hopefully we can see the same level from these players, if not higher, when we get to the Caribbean.”

“I’m very excited about what lies ahead, and I think the players are too, the closer we get to it. We’re getting a few games in before then; we’re off to play Netherlands and Ireland next week, and that’ll be good just to get a bit of competitiveness under our belts. We’re done with training now, and we want to play competitive cricket,” added Watson.

Scotland will be competing at their sixth ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and also their third tournament participation in succession. In 2021 they succeeded in qualifying for the Super 12’s stage in the UAE and Oman, while in 2022 they memorably defeated West Indies in the group stage at Hobart, though they failed to make it to the Super 12 stage.

“For us as a nation, it’s a real opportunity to shine on the global stage. If you look at the landscape of cricket now, with all the different franchise tournaments available for these guys to play in around the world, this is still the pinnacle. From a personal and team perspective, it’s massive.

“That first game against England, it’ll be quite a day – but we won’t look too far ahead. We’ll just ensure that we prepare well as a team, and individually, to represent Scotland as best we can,” concluded Watson.

As compared to 16 teams in the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup, 20 teams will be divided into four groups of five each for the first round in 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super eight stage. In Super eight, teams will be split into two groups of four each.

Teams seeded first and second in their groups in the first round will retain that seeding in the Super Eight, provided they qualify. A1, B2, C1 and D2 finishers will be in one group, while A2, B1, C2 and D1 will be slotted in the other group. Top two sides from two groups of the Super eight will advance to the semifinals.

The semi-finals will happen on June 26 and 27 in Guyana and Trinidad respectively, before the final happens in Barbados on June 29. This will be the first World Cup event to be hosted by the USA while this will be the second time West Indies will be hosting the Men's T20 World Cup after doing so the last time in 2010.

Scotland squad: Richie Berrington (captain), Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt and Brad Wheal.

--IANS

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