No sponsor, kit on order & visa wait – Scotland embrace late World Cup call

Scotland are confident visa issues will not delay their players’ arrival at the men’s T20 World Cup as chief executive Trudy Lindblade detailed the frantic preparations involved in their “unique” last-minute tournament plans.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) brought in Scotland to replace Bangladesh on Saturday, with the event set to start on 7 February.

It came after the ICC rejected a request from Bangladesh to move their games from India to Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament. Bangladesh had cited safety concerns amid growing tensions between the countries.

Scotland were given the spot courtesy of being the highest-ranked team – in 14th – not already at the event.

Cricket Scotland officials have been working around the clock since Lindblade picked up a call from ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta at the start of last weekend.

There is still a tight turnaround to get all of their players, including seamer Safyaan Sharif who has Pakistani heritage, visas in time to enter India.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have been invited, but it is certainly in unique and challenging circumstances,” Lindblade told BBC Stumped.

“We’re all confident at the moment we can get everybody out there.”

Scotland are hoping to bring on board a major sponsor and are optimistic a new playing kit for the tournament will arrive before they leave.

“If we’ve got kits, that’s a bonus. If not, you might see us in our regular Cricket Scotland playing kits,” Lindblade said.

“We’ve got seven days to turn around a sponsor.”

Scotland have effectively inherited Bangladesh’s itinerary for the World Cup and will initially be based in Bengaluru.

They are expected to play warm-up matches against Afghanistan and Namibia on 2 and 4 February at the Board of Control for Cricket in India centre of excellence in nearby Singahalli.

Scotland are scheduled to play West Indies on the opening day of the tournament at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and do not envisage that fixture being pushed back at this stage.

“I think if we were getting worried, we would certainly talk to the ICC about what options are available to us,” Lindblade added.

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Scotland squad for T20 World Cup: Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross (wicketkeeper), Brad 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

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A fourth-place finish at last summer’s Europe Qualifier looked to have cost Scotland a place at the 2026 T20 World Cup as the Netherlands and Italy secured the two spots on offer for the region from that event.

Lindblade has already spoken to Cricket Jersey counterpart Sarah Gomersall, given the Channel Islanders might have felt somewhat aggrieved having finished above Scotland in third place at the Europe Qualifier.

Her diplomacy extended to expressing sympathies to Bangladesh’s players who will miss out on the tournament.

Cricket Scotland had waited for the call to come from the ICC out of respect to their counterparts at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

“We do have sympathy for the Bangladesh players and their fans because you know as cricketers they just want to play the game,” Lindblade said.

“But these are circumstances that are beyond our control. They are matters for the ICC and the BCB to work through. But when it comes to that, absolutely, we’re human beings, so that empathy does come there.

“I’d like to think that it’s not becoming a more divided sport and if it is, that we can see that and we can work together to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”

As an Associate member, Scotland receive approximately £2.7m ($3.8m) from the ICC revenue distribution model.

It is a pittance compared to full members – England receive close to £33m in addition to lucrative broadcast deals.

Participation in the World Cup will provide Scotland with a valuable cash injection – they picked up £203,000 ($250,000) from the T20 World Cup in 2024 – but the late nature of inclusion means a greater outlay as well.

Scotland will take two travelling reserves, something they would not normally do for financial reasons, given the risk of injury to players, and they hope the ICC will cover the cost.

“I think the conversations will happen if there’s anything that we’ve had to unreasonably do,” Lindblade said.

“As any team that qualifies for a World Cup, there are financial benefits with that. So we need to make sure that we make the most of it.”

Listen to the full interview with Cricket Scotland’s Trudy Lindblade on the Stumped podcast which will be released on Thursday afternoon.