Scotland Players Granted Visas in Time for T20 World Cup Warm-Ups

Scotland will be able to fulfil their first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup warm-up fixture against Afghanistan in Bengaluru on Monday after visa issues affecting two players were resolved in time.

The Scottish squad were invited to the tournament as late replacements for Bangladesh and announced their 15-man squad on January 26. However, visas for Safyaan Sharif and Zainullah Ihsan were briefly delayed due to their backgrounds — Sharif has Pakistani heritage, while Ihsan was born in Afghanistan. Both players have now arrived in India and joined the team for training in Bengaluru on Sunday.

“It has been one hell of a week,” Sharif said in a video posted on Cricket Scotland’s Instagram account before travelling. “Once we found out we were going to the World Cup, obviously I couldn’t believe it. For myself, I’m pretty excited and just can’t wait to get on that park and put in a performance for Scotland.

“Thanks to the Scotland team and the efforts they’ve put in just to get us on this flight. I’m just glad that the first hurdle is over and we’re just going to get on this plane, enjoy the flight and see the boys in India.”

Tom Bruce is the only member of the Scotland squad yet to arrive in India, as he continues to fulfil domestic commitments with Central Stags in New Zealand.

Scotland have been placed in Group C, where they will face West Indies, Italy, England and Nepal. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eights stage. Scotland narrowly missed out on progressing to that stage in the 2024 edition after a no-result against England and a close defeat to Australia.

The team’s path to the World Cup has been unconventional. Scotland initially failed to qualify after defeats to Jersey and Italy at last year’s European Qualifiers. Speaking last week, Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade acknowledged the unusual circumstances, saying: “This is not how we wanted to go to a World Cup.”

Despite the challenges, Scotland will now have the opportunity to prepare fully for the tournament, with their warm-up schedule back on track.