Scotland pick Afghanistan boy for T20 World Cup

Zainullah Ihsan

Scotland have handed a first call-up to seamer Zainullah Ihsan for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India.

The 19-year-old was born in Afghanistan and came to the UK as an unaccompanied asylum seeker before being granted refugee status in 2022.

He had only played tapeball cricket before arriving in Glasgow, where he joined GHK cricket club.

He became eligible to play for Scotland last year and could make his full international debut at the World Cup having previously represented Scotland A.

Finlay McCreath, Oliver Davidson and former New Zealand cap Tom Bruce are also included, while captain Richie Berrington is one of 11 players who featured at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Hampshire’s Scott Currie was ineligible for selection having appeared as a substitute fielder for England during their T20 series against Ireland last year.

“The coaching staff, selectors and I are all really excited about the squad that has been picked,” head of performance Steve Snell said.

“We feel it’s well-balanced and caters for a lot of different scenarios and challenges that the team will face in India.

“There’s obviously a great opportunity for Zainullah Ihsan, and whenever he’s played at youth level or for the ‘A’ squad he’s shown an exciting range of skills and bowled at genuine pace.

“We’re delighted for him and excited to see how he performs on his first international tour.

“Oli Davidson has worked tirelessly at his skills and shown tremendous desire and work ethic in recent months to improve, and he also thoroughly deserves his call-up”. 

(BBC sport)