Team preview: Scotland

Overview

At 11th place in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings, Scotland are higher ranked than any of their competition, and go into the tournament as among the favourites to win. They will also be out to earn a chance to prove their ability in the shortest format, having famously beaten current 50-over world champions England when they played them in a one-off ODI last year in Edinburgh.

Scotland possess a hugely experienced core of players – six players in their squad have played 30 or more T20Is – supplemented nicely by some up-and-coming youngsters.

They come to the tournament on the back of some mixed form, having made it to the final of the tri-series in Ireland, before falling agonisingly short at the final hurdle against the hosts. The team arrive in Dubai via South Africa, where they beat Dolphins in two warm-up T20s.

How they got there

By virtue of being placed within the top 16 of the T20I team rankings at the cut-off date of 31 December 2018, Scotland automatically gained entry into the Qualifier.

T20WC history

Scotland have appeared in three previous editions of the T20 World Cup: 2007, 2009, and 2016. In the most recent of those, they gained their first win, an eight-wicket victory over Hong Kong in a rain-affected match in Nagpur, but it was not enough to see them through to the Super 10 stage.

Key player

Calum MacLeod – The Glasgow-born batsman played a big part in the ODI win over England, scoring 140* from 94 balls in a high-scoring affair. He also hit a sublime 157* against an Afghanistan attack, led by Rashid Khan, on a turning track in Bulawayo during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018. While he has not enjoyed quite the same level of success to date in T20Is as in ODIs, MacLeod's ability to sustain a high strike rate throughout big scores will be extremely useful, giving Scotland a foundation to build from without slowing down.

One to watch

George Munsey – While he is now an experienced member of the squad, Munsey is still only 26. He made headlines earlier this year, when he struck an incredible 147 from just 39 balls, including 20 sixes, in a T20 for Gloucestershire Second XI. He has carried that big-hitting ability into internationals as well, having so far clocked up 753 runs at 30.12, with a strike rate of 159 in T20Is, including a stunning 56-ball 127 against hosts Ireland during the recent tri-series.

Fixtures

18 October: v Singapore, ICC Academy, Dubai

**19 October:**v Kenya, ICC Global Cricket Academy No 2, Dubai

21 October: v Papua New Guinea, ICC Academy, Dubai

22 October: v Namibia, ICC Academy, Dubai

24 October: v Bermuda, Dubai International Stadium, Dubai

27 October: v Netherlands, Dubai International Stadium, Dubai

Squad

Kyle Coetzer (c), Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross, Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans, Ollie Hairs, Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, George Munsey, Adrian Neill, Safyaan Sharif, Tom Sole, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt