Scotland name Afghanistan-born Zainullah Ihsan in T20 World Cup squad

Afghanistan-born fast bowler Zainullah Ihsan has been included in Scotland’s squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India, earning his first senior call-up at international level.

The 19-year-old seamer was born in Afghanistan and later moved to the United Kingdom as an unaccompanied asylum seeker. He was granted refugee status in 2022 and has since risen quickly through the Scottish cricket system.

Before arriving in Glasgow, Ihsan had only played tape-ball cricket. He later joined GHK Cricket Club and became eligible to represent Scotland last year. Having previously featured for Scotland A, he could now make his full international debut at the World Cup.

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

Scotland head of performance Steve Snell described the squad as well balanced and praised Ihsan’s pace and range of skills, saying the young bowler has consistently impressed at youth and A-team levels and fully merits his selection.

Scotland initially failed to qualify for the tournament after defeats to Jersey and Italy in the qualifiers but were handed a late place after Bangladesh withdrew from the competition.

Ranked 14th in the world, Scotland replace Bangladesh as the highest-ranked team not already qualified and will compete in Group C of the tournament.