Scotland national cricket team

The Scotland national cricket team (Scots: Scotland naitional cricket team, Scottish Gaelic: sgioba nàiseanta criogaid na h-Alba) represents the country of Scotland. They play their home matches at The Grange, Edinburgh, and also some other venues.

Scotland
AssociationCricket Scotland
Personnel
CaptainRichie Berrington
CoachDoug Watson
International Cricket Council
ICC statusAssociate Member with ODI status (1994)
ICC regionEurope
ICC RankingsCurrent[1]Best-ever
ODI13th11th (16 Feb 2024)
T20I13th11th (2 May 2017)
One Day Internationals
First ODIv.  Australia at New Road, Worcester; 16 May 1999
Last ODIv.  Canada at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai; 7 March 2024
ODIsPlayedWon/Lost
Total[2]15669/79
(1 tie, 7 no results)
This year[3]31/2
(0 ties, 0 no results)
World Cup appearances3 (first in 1999)
Best resultGroup stage
(1999, 2007, 2015)
World Cup Qualifier appearances7 (first in 1997)
Best resultChampions (2005, 2014)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20Iv.  Pakistan at Kingsmead, Durban; 12 September 2007
Last T20Iv.  United Arab Emirates at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai; 14 March 2024
T20IsPlayedWon/Lost
Total[4]9243/45
(1 tie, 3 no results)
This year[5]32/1
(0 ties, 0 no results)
T20 World Cup appearances4 (first in 2007)
Best resultSuper 12 (2021)
T20 World Cup Qualifier appearances7[a] (first in 2008)
Best resultChampions (2015, 2023)

ODI and T20I kit

As of 14 March 2024
Team kits as of 2019

Scotland became Associate Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1994[6] after severing links with the England cricket team two years earlier. Since then, they have played in three ODI World Cups (1999, 2007 and 2015) and five T20 World Cup tournaments (2007, 2009, 2016, 2021 and 2022). However, their first win in either of these events did not come until they beat Hong Kong in the 2016 T20 World Cup.[7] Scottish cricket team is governed by Cricket Scotland.

Scotland have also played in every ICC Intercontinental Cup tournament, winning the inaugural edition in 2004. Between 2010 and 2013, the team competed in the ECB 40 as the Scottish Saltires.

In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between Scotland and other ICC members after 1 January 2019 are a full T20I.[8]

History

Before ICC Membership

The first recorded cricket match in Scotland took place in Alloa in 1785.[9] It would be another eighty years, however, before Scotland's national side played their first full match, against the English county Surrey in 1865, which they won by 172 runs.

The first Scottish Cricket Union was formed in 1879, and the national team beat Australia by 7 wickets three years later. The cricket union became defunct in 1883, and Grange Cricket Club took over the administration of the game until 1909. The first match against Ireland took place in Dublin in 1888, with Ireland winning. Scotland played their first match to be afforded first-class status against the touring Australians in 1905, with the Scottish side being captained to a draw by Hubert Johnston.[10] They also played South Africa, West Indies, an all-Indian team, and New Zealand before the start of World War II.

1948 saw Australia visit Scotland for two games at the end of their tour of England. These games, both of which were won by the Australians, were to be the last international games for Don Bradman. The Don signed off in typical style, making a fine unbeaten 123 in the innings victory.[11]

Scotland first competed in English domestic cricket in 1980, when they competed in the Benson & Hedges Cup for the first time. Three years later they took part in the NatWest Trophy. Their first Benson & Hedges win came against Lancashire in 1986.

Scottish cricketers

The most famous cricketers to have come from Scotland are probably the former England captain, Mike Denness, Warwickshire all-rounder Dougie Brown, and former England Test player Gavin Hamilton. Another great Scottish cricketer was Brian Hardie, who was a major contributor to the successful Essex side of the 1970s and 1980s. Possibly one of the best spinners and certainly a respected journalist was the aptly named Ian Peebles,[12] who was one of the cricketers of the year in 1931 alongside Don Bradman.

The most infamous cricketer, a man who was vilified in Australia, was a Scot, Douglas Jardine, father to and inventor of "Leg Theory", which is well documented under "Bodyline". Jardine was born in British India, and died in Switzerland, spending most of his life in England. However, his parents were Scottish. He asked for his ashes to be scattered in Scotland and gave his own children Scottish names.

ICC Membership

In 1992, Scotland severed their ties with the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) and England, and gained Associate Membership of the ICC in their own right in 1994.[6] They competed in the ICC Trophy for the first time in 1997, finishing third and qualifying for the 1999 World Cup, where they played their first ODI.[13]

16 May 1999
Scorecard
Scotland 
181/7 (50 overs)
v
 Australia
182/4 (44.5 overs)
Gavin Hamilton 34 (42)
Shane Warne 3/39 (10 overs)
Mark Waugh 67 (114)
Nick Dyer 2/43 (10 overs)
Australia won by 6 wickets
New Road, Worcester, England
Umpires: Steve Dunne (NZ) and Peter Willey (Eng)
Player of the match: Mark Waugh (Aus)

The 2001 ICC Trophy saw them finish 4th, losing a play-off game to Canada,[14] but they won the 2005 tournament, beating long-time rivals Ireland in the final. 2004 saw Scotland first confirm themselves as one of the leading associate nations by winning the inaugural Intercontinental Cup. However, they did not progress beyond the first round in the 2005 tournament.[15]

2006

Scotland's Ryan Watson plays through backward point for a boundary against India at Glasgow's Titwood ground, 16 August 2007

March 2006 saw Scotland embark on a pre-season tour to Barbados. They performed with some credit, although they only won one of their 6 games, against a Barbados XI.[16] They owed much of their success to Nik Morton, who re-qualified to represent Scotland internationally in 2004. They competed in the C & G Trophy in English domestic cricket in the early part of the 2006 English cricket season. They performed better than expected, winning three of their nine games, and finishing eighth in the Northern conference.[17]

In June, they played their first ODI since the 1999 World Cup when they took on Pakistan in Edinburgh.[18] Without key players Dougie Brown and Navdeep Poonia, they lost by five wickets.[19] They finally got their first ODI win in the European Championships in August with a win over Holland in a rain-shortened game.[20] They again missed key players for some games in this tournament though, and thanks to their loss against Ireland, finished second in the tournament.[21]

During 2006 and early 2007, Scotland participated in the third edition of the Intercontinental Cup. They beat Namibia by an innings in May 2006, but draws against Ireland in August and the United Arab Emirates in January 2007 meant that they failed to reach the final.[22] In December 2006, they travelled to Test nation Bangladesh for a two-match ODI series – their first outside the UK – but lost both matches heavily.[23]

2007

In January 2007, after the Intercontinental Cup match against United Arab Emirates in Sharjah, they travelled to Kenya, first playing in a tri-series against Canada and Kenya in Mombasa, where they finished second.[24] This was followed by Division One of the World Cricket League in Nairobi, where Scotland finished as runners up.[25]

They then travelled to West Indies for their second World Cup. They again lost all their games and failed to progress beyond the first round.[26] Back in the UK, they competed in the Friends Provident Trophy, their only win coming against Lancashire.[27] They also drew an Intercontinental Cup match against United Arab Emirates.[28] An ODI against Pakistan in July was washed out.[29]

In July, Scotland took part in a quadrangular series in Ireland against the hosts, Holland and West Indies. However, the endeavour was not a success. They lost their matches against Ireland and West Indies, with the match against Holland being abandoned due to rain.

At the beginning of August, Scotland were on Intercontinental Cup duty as they beat Holland by an innings and 59 runs. They then drew with Ireland in a rain-affected match, only gaining 3 points after a poor 1st innings display. India were Scotland's next ODI opponents in mid-August, which was shown live on BBC Scotland from Titwood, Glasgow. The match was reduced slightly to 46 overs after a couple of brief showers, but India won by 7 wickets.

Having reached the final of the World Cricket League earlier in the year, Scotland qualified to play in the Twenty20 World Championship held in South Africa. They lost by 51 runs to Pakistan in their first game, and did not get a chance to play their other Group D opponents India, as the game was washed out without a ball being bowled.

2008

In July 2008, Scotland played a tri-series against New Zealand and Ireland in Aberdeen, Scotland. Scotland beat Ireland but lost their match against New Zealand.

In early August, Scotland participated with five other Associate nations in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Belfast. Despite an initial loss to hosts Ireland, victory against Bermuda secured a semi final slot. Throwing off the disappointment of an unexpected loss to Holland in the semi-final a few hours earlier, Scotland bounced right back for a 9 wicket victory over Kenya (who had advanced ahead of Canada), to secure third place. However, with only two nations guaranteed to progress, qualification for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was only granted when Zimbabwe confirmed that they would not attend the tournament.

On 18 August, Scotland played their first ODI encounter against England. Hosting the Auld Enemy, at the Grange Cricket Club in Edinburgh. However the match was abandoned due to rain after less than 3 overs of England's reply to Scotland's 156/9.

In December 2008, Cricket Scotland, the governing body of Scottish cricket, took the historic act of giving three Scotland players central contracts. Bowlers Gordon Goudie and Dewald Nel and captain Ryan Watson became the first full-time professional cricketers based in Scotland. Nineteen other cricketers have been offered part-time professional deals.[30]

2009

Scotland participated in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England in June 2009. They were drawn alongside Test nations New Zealand and South Africa in Group D, with both matches being played at The Oval in London.

The first match, against New Zealand, was shortened to 7 overs per side due to rain. Scotland batted first and made 89/4, with Kyle Coetzer top-scoring with 33. However, three no-balls and a dropped catch enabled New Zealand to win by seven wickets with an over to spare.[31]

In the second match, South Africa made 211/5, with AB de Villiers hitting 79 not out off only 34 balls. In response, Scotland were bowled out for 81, more than half of which was scored by Coetzer (42). The 130-run margin of defeat was the second-largest in terms of runs in a Twenty20 International.[32]

2010

In 2010, Scotland took part in the inaugural ECB 40 tournament.

Scotland competed in the qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates, to compete for a place in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies. They competed for a place with Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Holland, United Arab Emirates and USA.[33] The tournament was disappointing for Scotland, going out in the group stage without winning a single match.

Scotland's Intercontinental Cup campaign was more successful as they reached the final in December – against Afghanistan – at the bespoke new cricket stadium in Dubai. Scheduled as a four-day first-class match of two innings each side, Afghanistan won the game in eight sessions. This was also the first cricket match of any kind that was live-streamed online – by two Scottish fans, with the agreement of the ICC.[citation needed]

ICC World Cup Qualifiers

During March and April 2009 Scotland attempted to defend the ICC Trophy they won in 2005. To secure qualification for the 2011 Cricket World Cup a top four place was targeted. They were also attempting to secure ODI status by finishing in the top six.

Scotland started the tournament badly by losing three of their five group games. With only the points earned against Namibia being taken through to the Super Eights, Scotland faced a difficult route to the World Cup.[34]

Scotland started the Super Eights well by beating Holland in their first match. Defeats against Kenya and Afghanistan followed. The result of which threatened Scotland's qualification for the World Cup as well as the possibility of losing their ODI status if they finished out of the top six.

Victory against United Arab Emirates in their last game, and an improved run-rate, thanks to the 122 run victory, ensured a top six place for the Scots, securing ODI status until the next round of World Cup qualifiers.

In 2012, Scotland achieved their first victory against a full member of the ICC when it defeated a touring Bangladesh side.

24 July 2012
16:00
Scorecard
 Scotland
162/7 (20 overs)
v
 Bangladesh
128 (18 overs)
Richie Berrington 100 (58)
Mashrafe Mortaza 2/22 (4 overs)
Shakib Al Hasan 31 (29)
Josh Davey 3/23 (4 overs)
Scotland won by 34 runs
Sportpark Westvliet, The Hague
Umpires: Ian Ramage (Sco) and Richard Smith (Ire)

The Scottish team qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand, but was eliminated after six straight losses out of six matches.[35]

In January 2017 Scotland took part in the 2017 Desert T20 Challenge. They won all three of their group fixtures, before losing to Ireland in the semi-finals.

Zimbabwe tour of Scotland in 2017

Scotland achieved their second victory against a full member of the ICC when it defeated a touring Zimbabwe side.

15 June 2017
Scorecard
Scotland 
317/6 (50 overs)
v
 Zimbabwe
272 (41.4 overs)
Kyle Coetzer 109 (101)
Sean Williams 2/48 (10 overs)
Malcolm Waller 92 (62)
Con de Lange 5/60 (8 overs)
Scotland won by 26 runs (D/L method)
The Grange Club, Edinburgh
Umpires: Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SL) and Ian Ramage (Sco)
  • Scotland won the toss and elected to bat.
  • Rain during Zimbabwe's innings set them a revised target of 299 runs in 43 overs.
  • Con de Lange (Sco) took his first five-wicket haul in an ODI.
  • This was the first ODI match between the two sides and Scotland's first ever win in an ODI against a Test playing nation.[36]

2018

Scotland achieved their third victory against a full member of the ICC when it defeated a touring England side.

10 June 2018
11:00
Scorecard
Scotland 
371/5 (50 overs)
v
 England
365 (48.5 overs)
Calum MacLeod 140* (94)
Adil Rashid 2/72 (10 overs)
Jonny Bairstow 105 (59)
Mark Watt 3/55 (10)
Scotland won by 6 runs
The Grange Club, Edinburgh
Umpires: Marais Erasmus (SA) and Allan Haggo (Sco)
Player of the match: Calum MacLeod (Sco)
  • England won the toss and elected to field.
  • Dylan Budge (Sco) made his ODI debut.
  • Calum MacLeod scored the fastest century by a batsman for Scotland in ODIs and became the first batsman for Scotland to score a century in ODIs against England.[37]
  • Scotland made their highest score in ODIs and the highest score by an Associate team against a Full Member team.[37]
  • Jonny Bairstow became the first batsman for England to score centuries in three consecutive ODIs.[37]

2022

Scotland achieved their fourth victory against a full member of the ICC when it defeated the West Indies in the first round of the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup.

17 October 2022
15:00
Scorecard
Scotland 
160/5 (20 overs)
v
 West Indies
118 (18.3 overs)
George Munsey 66* (53)
Jason Holder 2/14 (3 overs)
Jason Holder 38 (33)
Mark Watt 3/12 (4 overs)
Scotland won by 42 runs
Bellerive Oval, Hobart
Attendance: 2,135[38]
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pak) and Paul Wilson (Aus)
Player of the match: George Munsey (Sco)
  • West Indies won the toss and elected to field.

International grounds

Locations of all stadiums which have hosted an international cricket match within Scotland

Tournament history

World Cup

World Cup record
YearRoundPositionGPWLTNR
1975Not eligible (not an ICC member)[6]
1979
1983
1987
1992
1996Not eligible (not an ICC member at time of qualification)[6]
1999Group stage12/1250500
2003Did not qualify
2007Group stage15/1630300
2011Did not qualify
2015Group stage14/1460600
2019Did not qualify
2023
2027TBD
2031
TotalGroup Stage3/121401400

T20 World Cup

T20 World Cup record
YearRoundPositionGPWLTNR
2007Group stage10/1220101
200912/1220200
2010Did not qualify
2012
2014
2016Group stage14/1631200
2021Super 12s (Round 2)11/1683500
2022Group Stage12/1631200
2024Qualified
2026TBD
2028
2030Qualified as co-hosts
TotalGroup Stage5/81851201

Summer Olympics

Summer Olympics record
YearRoundPositionGPWLTNRWin %
1900Champions1/211000100.00
2028TBD
Total1 title1/111000100.00
*The win percentage excludes no results and counts ties as half a win.

Other tournaments

ICC Trophy / World Cup Qualifier
(One day, List A from 2005)
Commonwealth Games (List A)Friends Provident Trophy (List A)ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier (T20I)
  • 2007: North Conference – 10th
  • 2006: North Conference – 8th
  • 2005: Round 1
  • 2004: Round 2
  • 2003: Round 3
  • 2002: Round 3[40]
  • 2008: 3rd place
  • 2010: 7th place
  • 2012: 5th place
  • 2013: 7th place
  • 2015: Joint winners (with Netherlands)
  • 2019: 5th place
  • 2023 (Europe Regional Final): Winners
ICC 6 Nations ChallengeICC Intercontinental Cup (FC)World Cricket League (ODI)
(formerly ICC 6 Nations Challenge)
European Championship (OD/ODI)‡
  • 2000: 6th place[41]
  • 2002: Did not participate[42]
  • 2004: Runners-up[43]
  • 1996: 5th place[46]
  • 1998: 3rd place[47]
  • 2000: 3rd place (Division One)[48]
  • 2002: Runners-up (Division One)
  • 2004: 4th place (Division One)[49]
  • 2006: Runners-up (Division One)[21]
  • 2008: Runners-up (Division One)[50]

‡ Only the matches between Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands in the 2006 tournament have official ODI status.

Current squad

This lists all the active players who are contracted to or have played for Scotland in the past year (since 13 March 2023) and the forms in which they have played, and any players (in italics) outside this criterion who have been selected in the team's most recent ODI or T20I squad. This doesn't include Tom Mackintosh, who has since retired.[51]

Key

  • S/N = Shirt number
NameAgeBatting styleBowling styleFormsS/NLast ODILast T20I
Batters
Richie Berrington37Right-handedRight-arm medium-fastODI (C), T20I (C)44 2024 2024
Oli Hairs33Left-handedRight-arm off breakT20I14 2010 2024
Christopher McBride24Right-handedRight-arm mediumODI12 2023
George Munsey31Left-handedRight-arm medium-fastODI, T20I93 2024 2024
Andrew Umeed28Right-handedRight-arm leg breakODI, T20I 2024
All-rounders
James Dickinson25Right-handedRight-arm leg-breakT20I 2024
Jack Jarvis20Right-handedRight-arm medium-fastODI, T20I66 2023 2024
Michael Leask33Right-handedRight-arm off breakODI, T20I29 2024 2024
Brandon McMullen24Right-handedRight-arm mediumODI, T20I21 2024 2024
Wicket-keepers
Matthew Cross31Right-handedODI, T20I9 2024 2024
Charlie Tear19Right-handedODI, T20I 2024 2024
Pace bowlers
Brad Currie25Right-handedLeft-arm fast-mediumODI, T20I4 2024 2024
Scott Currie22Right-handedRight-arm medium-fastODI 2024
Alasdair Evans35Right-handedRight-arm medium-fastODI45 2023 2022
Gavin Main29Right-handedRight-arm fastT20I28 2022 2024
Adrian Neill30Right-handedRight-arm medium-fastODI7 2023 2019
Safyaan Sharif32Right-handedRight-arm medium-fastODI, T20I50 2024 2024
Chris Sole30Right-handedRight-arm fastODI, T20I71 2023 2022
Brad Wheal27Right-handedRight-arm fast-mediumODI58 2024 2022
Spin bowlers
Chris Greaves33Right-handedRight-arm leg-breakODI, T20I13 2024 2024
Hamza Tahir28Right-handedSlow left-arm orthodoxT20I32 2023 2024
Mark Watt27Left-handedSlow left-arm orthodoxODI, T20I51 2024 2024

Coaching staff

PositionName
Manager Kenny Crichton
Head coach Doug Watson
Assistant and fast bowling coach Glenn Pocknall
Head physiotherapist Gavin Cross
S&C coach Nick Karamouzis

Coaching history

Records and statistics

Scotland's John Blain bowls India's Yuvraj Singh at Glasgow's Titwood ground, 16 August 2007

International match summary – Scotland[56][57]

Playing record
FormatMWLTNRInaugural match
One-Day Internationals15669791716 May 1999
Twenty20 Internationals9243451312 September 2007

Last updated 14 March 2024.

One-Day Internationals

Most ODI wickets for Scotland[62]

PlayerWicketsAverageCareer span
Safyaan Sharif10230.612011–2024
Mark Watt9125.452016–2024
Majid Haq6032.912006–2015
Alasdair Evans5828.942009–2023
Michael Leask5733.842014–2024

  • Players still playing for Scotland are listed in bold.

Best bowling figures in an innings in ODI[64]

PlayerScoreOppositionVenueYear
Josh Davey6/34  AfghanistanAbu Dhabi2015
Josh Davey5/9  AfghanistanAyr2010
John Blain5/22  NetherlandsDublin2008
Safyaan Sharif5/33  ZimbabweBulawayo2018
Brandon McMullen5/34  IrelandBulawayo2023

ODI record versus other nations[56]

OpponentMWLTNRFirst matchFirst win
v. Test nations
 Afghanistan13480119 April 20099 July 2010
 Australia5050016 May 1999
 Bangladesh4040024 May 1999
 England5130118 August 200810 June 2018
 India1010016 August 2007
 Ireland21515015 August 200630 January 2007
 New Zealand4040031 May 1999
 Pakistan3030020 May 1999
 South Africa1010020 March 2007
 Sri Lanka4040013 July 2011
 West Indies4130027 May 19991 July 2023
 Zimbabwe4211015 June 201715 June 2017
v. Associate Members
 Bermuda101005 February 2007
 Canada11740018 January 200718 January 2007
 Hong Kong5220126 January 201610 September 2016
 Kenya9530117 January 20072 February 2007
 Namibia6510010 July 202210 July 2022
   Nepal6330013 July 202217 July 2022
 Netherlands1274016 August 20066 August 2006
 Oman7510115 August 201918 August 2019
 Papua New Guinea1091006 October 20176 October 2017
 United Arab Emirates14104001 February 20141 February 2014
 United States633009 December 201914 December 2019

Records complete to ODI #4740. Last updated 7 March 2024.

Twenty20 Internationals

Most T20I wickets for Scotland[69]

PlayerWicketsAverageCareer span
Mark Watt7219.902015–2024
Safyaan Sharif7224.312012–2024
Alasdair Evans4123.262015–2022
Michael Leask3822.812013-2024
Josh Davey3723.972012–2022

T20I record versus other nations[57]

OpponentMWLTNRFirst matchFirst win
v. Test nations
 Afghanistan7070010 February 2010
 Bangladesh2200024 July 201224 July 2012
 India2010113 September 2007
 Ireland1548122 August 200818 June 2015
 New Zealand404006 June 2009
 Pakistan4040012 September 2007
 South Africa101007 June 2009
 West Indies1100017 October 202217 October 2022
 Zimbabwe5140010 March 201615 September 2021
v. Associate Members
 Austria1100025 July 202325 July 2023
 Bermuda220003 August 20083 August 2008
 Canada1100023 March 201223 March 2012
 Denmark1100027 July 202327 July 2023
 Germany1100020 July 202320 July 2023
 Hong Kong5410025 July 201525 July 2015
 Italy1100024 July 202324 July 2023
 Jersey1100021 July 202321 July 2023
 Kenya853004 August 20084 August 2008
 Namibia3030022 October 2019
 Netherlands1376004 August 200822 November 2013
 Oman4400019 January 201719 January 2017
 Papua New Guinea3300021 October 201921 October 2019
 Singapore1010018 October 2019
 United Arab Emirates642009 July 20159 July 2015

Records complete to T20I #2520. Last updated 14 March 2024 .

Notes

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

  • Perry, Jake (2020). The Secret Game: Tales of Scottish Cricket. Shrewsbury: Chequered Flag Publishing. ISBN 9781999777463.
  • —————; Heatly, Gary (2022). Playing with Teeth: How Scotland's Cricketers Broke the Cycle of Glorious Failure. Chichester, West Sussex: Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781801501217.