NEW DELHI: Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade on Saturday thanked the International Cricket Council for offering Scotland a spot in next month’s T20 World Cup following Bangladesh’s withdrawal, saying the team is now “preparing to arrive in India immediately”.Scotland were officially confirmed as Bangladesh’s replacement in the 20-team tournament after the latter pulled out citing security concerns, despite the ICC maintaining that its assessments found no specific threat.
“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.She added: “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.Scotland are yet to announce their 15-member squad for the tournament, which 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.Meanwhile, Cricket Scotland chairman Wilf Walsh revealed he received a call from ICC chairman Jay Shah confirming Scotland’s participation.“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,” he said.Walsh also thanked the ICC for the opportunity, adding: “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.”
