Last minute T20 World Cup entrants Scotland have included Afghan-born uncapped pacer Zainullah Ihsan in their 15-member squad for the ICC event beginning in India and Sri Lanka on February 7.

Scotland have replaced Bangladesh in the tournament with the latter refusing to play in India citing security concerns.

Richie Berrington will captain a strong squad that includes eleven players who were part of the 2024 T20 World Cup squad in West Indies and USA. The team selection on Monday (January 26) was the first made by new head coach Owen Dawkins, following his appointment last month.

Ihsan is the sole first-time call-up, with the fast bowler having recently qualified to play for Scotland. Tom Bruce, Finlay McCreath and Oliver Davidson will all travel to their first World Cup, following their involvement in T20 and ODI squads during the last twelve months.

“The squad selection is subject to all player and staff visa applications being approved. Given the limited notice for Scotland’s participation at the tournament and timescale for selecting players, two travelling reserves have been selected while three others will be non-travelling reserves,” said Cricket Scotland in a statement.

Safyaan Sharif is a squad member of Pakistan lineage and his application will attract more scrutiny.

Head coach Dawkins said the unexpected entry into the World Cup provides a great opportunity for the players.

“It’s been a whirlwind forty-eight hours for everyone at Cricket Scotland, and I know Steve, Trudy Lindblade and everyone in the organisation have been working solidly to get everything sorted for the players and support staff since we learnt we would be participating at the World Cup.

“We’re all very excited and feeling privileged to have this opportunity. The players have been working hard in a fitness phase in recent weeks with Scott Hislen preparing for the ICC Cricket World Cup League Two series in Namibia at the end of March, and I have no doubt that this will help us in the next few weeks,” said Dawkins.

On the selection of Ihsa, head of performance Steve Snell added: “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.” Scotland have replaced Bangladesh in Group C including first-timers Italy, West Indies, England and Nepal.

Squad:

Richie Berrington (c), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Bradley Wheal Travelling reserves: Jasper Davidson, Jack Jarvis Non-travelling reserves: Mackenzie Jones, Chris McBride, Charlie Tear.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has stepped in to facilitate visa formalities for all 42 players and officials of Pakistan origin bound for the T20 World Cup in India.

In the England squad, cricketers of Pakistan lineage include spinners Adil Rashid, Rehan Ahmed and pacer Saqiib Mahmood.

USA will be represented by Ali Khan and Shayan Jahangir while the Netherlands have Zulfiqar Saqib to name a few.

PTI has learned that visas have already been cleared for England players Rashid, Rehan and Saqib.

Members of the Netherlands squad have also received their visas. Canada staff member Shah Saleem Zafar has been granted clearance as well.

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Visa arrangements are currently underway for players and officials of Pakistan nationality or origin who are part of teams from United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, Italy, Bangladesh and Canada.

For these teams, visa appointments have already been scheduled for early next week, indicating that the process is moving into its final phase. The deadline for visa issuance for participants is January 31.

These clearances are seen as an important early step, given the diverse representation of players of Pakistani descent across associate and full-member nations.

The ICC exercise covers cricketers, officials and standby personnel across multiple teams, underlining the governing body’s attempt to pre-empt any last-minute complications ahead of the global event.

The ICC, which is overseeing the coordination process, has remained in constant communication with Indian High Commissions in multiple cities across continents.

The aim has been to ensure that visa applications for the remaining players and officials are handled efficiently and without procedural delays.

The council has received assurances that the pending cases will be processed smoothly within the stipulated timelines.

With visa facilitation progressing as planned, the ICC believes that all participating teams will be fully prepared from a logistical standpoint before the tournament gets underway on February 7.

India visa applicants from Pakistan origin attract more scrutiny and processing times are longer than usual.