Scotland replaced Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup [Source: graynics, ICC/X.com]On Saturday afternoon, Scotland officially replaced Bangladesh in the upcoming T20 World Cup after the tensions between BCB and ICC reached a breaking point, where Bangladesh was left with only two choices: play the competition in India or skip the tournament and get replaced. The Bangladesh government chose the latter option, leaving ICC with no choice but to add Scotland into the mix. Scotland, which finished below Jersey in the T20 World Cup Europe Region qualifiers in 2025, turned out to be the beneficiary of this move from BCB and got included in the T20 World Cup on the virtue of better rankings. As they make a move to Group C, we explore the probable squad for the event in India and Sri Lanka. Scotland's probable squad for the T20 World Cup 2026Top orderGeorge Munsey The left-handed opener is one of the most important cogs of the Scottish team, with experience of playing T20 leagues around the world. In his 100 T20 innings, he has scored 2648 runs at a strike rate of 142.28, out of which 2302 runs have come in T20Is. Since 2016, he has played 18 matches in the T20 World Cup and has 465 runs as Scotland’s leading scorer in the competition. Richie Berrington (c) Similar to Munsey, Richie Berrington has played 18 matches in the tournament and is right behind him in the runs tally. He was their leading run-scorer in the Qualifying tournament with 94 runs, averaging 47. In his 102-match T20I career, he has 2335 runs, with 10 fifties and a hundred to his name.Furthermore, he has led them to 13/31 T20I and 26/43 wins as captain of the team. The Scottish skipper is also a medium pace option with a decent record in the format, having picked 28 wickets in 41 T20Is at an economy rate of 7.64.Christopher McBride The 26-year-old batter made his debut for Ireland in 2022 and has played 19 ODIs, scoring 395 runs and 3 T20Is, scoring 13 runs. While his T20I numbers don’t reflect much about his abilities, he has a reputation as a powerful stroke-maker who takes the bowlers as soon as he walks in.In his 28-game T10 career, he has 468 runs at a strike rate of 236.36 and was also a part of Scotland’s recent tri-series against Nepal and the Netherlands. Ollie Hairs (optional) Ollie Hairs is a veteran Scottish batter who is known for his range-hitting at the top of the batting order. In his 30-game T20I career, the leftie batter has gotten 504 runs at a strike rate of 165.24, with two fifties and a hundred. While he was recently out of the squad, he could find his way back in, considering the experience for the big tournament. Middle order Matthew Cross (wk)Since the 2016 T20 World Cup, Cross has played all 18 of Scotland’s matches in the competition with 227 runs to his name. The wicketkeeper batter has 1386 runs in T20I cricket to go with 2215 ODI runs. He has also played for Nottinghamshire, Essex and Montreal Tigers, which brings in an abundance of experience to the middle order. Finlay McCreath Finlay McCreath is a recent Scotland debutant who was a part of the aforementioned tri-series at home against the Netherlands and Nepal. He showed his ability to bat under pressure when he scored a POTM-winning 40 off 28 against the Netherlands in Glasgow. In T10 cricket, he has 410 runs in just 11 innings at a strike rate of 253.09, with a 137* to his name. Liam Naylor The right-handed batter Liam Naylor had a fantastic 2025 as a middle-order batter, where he also scored four consecutive hundreds in academy cricket, which caught headlines to earn him a call-up to the national team again after debuting in 2023. So far, the Liverpool-born player has not played much for Scotland, but as things stand, he looks set to go to the World Cup. Charlie Tear (wk) The 21-year-old, who made his debut in 2024, has represented Sussex and England U19 previously and currently remains an understudy to the veteran Cross in the lineup. In his 19 ODI innings, he has 489 runs at a decent average of 20.56, while he has scored only 87 in 7 T20I innings. He is currently in and around the squad and is again likely to head to India. All-rounders Brandon McMullen All-rounder Brandon McMullen is another key player from this roster, who caught attention during the 2024 edition, scoring 140 runs in 3 innings at a strike rate of 170.73 and two fifties to his name. In hi 22 inning T20I career, he has 629 runs at a strike rate of 145.93, while being equally impressive in the 37-match ODI career, scoring 1202 runs with four fifties and four fours. The 26-year-old can also provide an extra bowling option with his right-arm medium and has played for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and Dubai Capitals previously. Michael Leask Among the current squad members, Michael Leask has been a prominent part of the team since 2013, having played 74 T20Is and 91 ODIs. Predominantly playing as a bowler, he has 121 international wickets with his off-breaks, which will come in handy in the subcontinent. He also has 870 T20I and 1547 ODI runs to his name, which makes him a solid lower-order bat. Notably, in 13 T20 World Cup innings, he has struck at a rate of 141.33 for 212 runs. Mark Watt The 29-year-old Mark Watt is yet another name who has played in T20 leagues across the world and has 117 T20s under his belt, picking 114 wickets. He is known to provide control and contain runs in the middle overs to create pressure on the opposition — his T20I economy of 6.98 and T20 economy of 7.54 is a great exhibit of it. He has also picked three four-fers and a five-fer in the format. To go with his 89 T20I scalps with left-arm orthodox, Watt can also bat if his team needs him. He was recently also seen opening the batting with Munsey in T20Is. Notably, he has also played in the competition since 2016 as a key member. He is also their all-time leading wicket-taker in the format. Bowlers Safyaan Sharif Having made his debut for Scotland in 2011, the fast bowler, Safyaan Sharif, is the mainstay of this team, with 85 T20I wickets (second most for Scotland) in 74 innings to go with the 113 ODI scalps. With 16 wickets in T20 World Cups since 2016, his experience makes him the first-choice pacer of the squad. Chris Greaves The 35-year-old leg-spinner is an economical bowling option in the middle overs, considering the sub-continent pitches, where he will find assistance. He has an economy rate of 7.63 for 27 T20I wickets in 30 innings and was their best bowler at the qualifying tournament with 6 wickets in 3 innings, conceding at under 7 runs per over. Brad Currie The left-arm quick bowler, Brad Currie, who made his debut in 2023, has been one of Scotland’s key performers in white-ball cricket, where he has picked 32 wickets in 14 ODIs and 28 wickets in 18 T20Is, including a five-fer in T20Is. He has an economy rate of only 5.67 as a quality new-ball bowling option. Gavin Main Gavin Main is an experienced right-arm fast bowler who has been around the team since 2015 and has picked 34 ODI wickets in 16 innings at an average of 18.11. In 16 T20Is, he has picked 19 wickets, which includes a five-wicket haul as well. While he is not a sure-shot starter, he remains a fringe member of the squad who can do a good job whenever he is required. Jack Jarvis Jack Jarvis has emerged as a great prospect in the last couple of years, having found a spot in the T20I set-up. He has played 8 matches and gotten 11 wickets at a bowling strike rate of just 12.30, showing his wicket-taking ability.The bowler can also bat at 8-9 and add quick-fire runs to the totalm which is evident in his T10 numbers, where he strikes at a rate of 221.79 for 621 runs. He also has 47 wickets to his name in 46 matches in T10s.
