'Our squad has been...': Scotland's first reaction to surprise T20 World Cup call-up goes viral

Cricket Scotland shared their reaction to the surprise call-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup that they received after Bangladesh recently pulled out from the tournament. Scotland were added to the 20-team tournament as they were the highest-ranked team to have not qualified for the competition. They had failed to qualify in the European regional qualifiers where Netherlands and Italy had went on to seal their berth.

However, Scotland were invited to participate in the T20 World Cup by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after Bangladesh's exit. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to travel to India and cited security concerns as the reason behind their withdrawal. Scotland have been placed in Group C alongside the likes of England, Italy, Nepal and West Indies.

Cricket Scotland's reaction to the call-up

Reacting to their inclusion in the T20 World Cup, Cricket Scotland’s chief executive, Trudy Lindblade expressed graititude towards the ICC for providing them with the opportunity. She also said that the team is planning to arrive in India as soon as possible in order to get an idea of the conditions.

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“Earlier today, I received correspondence from the ICC asking if our men’s team would play at the Men’s T20 World Cup, and we have accepted. We are grateful to the ICC for extending this invite. This is an exciting opportunity for Scotland’s players to compete on the global stage in front of millions of supporters. We also acknowledge this opportunity has arisen out of challenging and unique circumstances," Lindblade announced on the board's website.

“Our squad have been training for some weeks in preparation for upcoming tours and are now preparing to arrive in India imminently to acclimatise to local conditions, ready to play and contribute to what should be a fantastic ICC Men’s T20 World Cup," she added.

Scotland's T20 WC schedule

Scotland are scheduled to begin their T20 World Cup campaign with the clash against West Indies on February 7. They will then be facing Italy on February 9 before locking horns against arch-rivals England on February 14. Their group stage will conclude with the clash against Nepal on February 17.