The Scotland national men's cricket team represents the country of Scotland. They play most of their home matches at The Grange, Edinburgh, as well as at other venues around Scotland.
Scotland's history in cricket dates back to the 18th century, and during the 19th and 20th centuries they frequently played touring teams and counties. In 1992, the Scottish Cricket Union severed links with the ECB and in 1994 they became Associate Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC).[6] The Scottish Cricket Union changed its name to Cricket Scotland in 2001.
Scotland 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]
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 awarded 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 Australia won by an innings, were to be the last international games for Don Bradman. The Don signed off in typical style, making a fine unbeaten 123 in the second match.[11]
In 1954, Scotland hosted a three-match to the touring Pakistanis, which they lost by 10 wickets. Five years later, they held India to a draw.[12]
The Pakistanis returned to Scotland in 1971, winning in Selkirk by 154 runs.[13] The following year, Scotland gave the touring Australia side a scare in a low-scoring match, before succumbing to a six-wicket defeat.[14]
Scotland hosted New Zealand in 1978, losing by an innings and 157 runs.[15]
English domestic cricket
As well as hosting touring sides, Scotland frequently played English first-class counties in the post-war period, and took part in the Benson & Hedges Cup for the first time in 1980. After enduring several winless seasons, their first Benson & Hedges victory came against Lancashire in 1986.[16]
Their second win came in 1990 when they beat Northamptonshire, a match in which a 20-year-old Dougie Brown took three wickets.[17] When the tournament was reduced to the top eight County Championship teams for the 1999 season, they were unable to qualify and they did not rejoin the competition thereafter.
In 1983, they took part in the NatWest Trophy. Their first win in the knockout competition came against Worcestershire in 1998. Gavin Haynes hit 74 and Man of the Match Craig Wright took 5/23 as Scotland sealed a famous four-run victory.
In 2003, Scotland beat the Lancashire Cricket Board before losing out to Somerset. Similarly, the following year they enjoyed success against minor county Cumberland before losing to Essex.
When the tournament moved to a group stage in 2006, Scotland enjoyed a considerably better campaign, winning three games against first-class counties. Between 2007 and 2009, in what was now named the Friends Provident Trophy, Scotland won one game in each season.
When the Friends Provident Trophy ended, Scotland joined the Clydesdale Bank 40, registering two victories in the 2010 edition.
They won twice more in the 2011 season, when they adopted the name Scottish Saltires. However, in the following season they recorded just one victory, and their final season, in 2013, was winless.
When the Royal London Cup was launched in 2014, no international teams were included. Since then, Cricket Scotland has expressed interest in playing in county cricket again, with the T20 Blast said to be their priority, but the Royal London Cup and The Hundred also of interest.[18]
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. They were denied a place in the final only by Bangladesh, who were granted full ICC Membership the following year and Test Status in 2001. In the third-place playoff, they beat Ireland by 51 runs, sealing their qualification for the 1999 World Cup,
Although England were official hosts of the World Cup, Scotland earned the right to host two of their matches in The Grange Club in Edinburgh.
Scotland's first ODI was played against eventual champions Australia. While they lost the game, they were competitive and a very strong Australia team reached the target after almost 45 overs.[19]
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 rest of the tournament featured some chastening defeats, however, especially to the West Indies and New Zealand, who raced their way to low totals. In what some described as the team's "own Cup Final"[20], the team lost narrowly to Bangladesh. Nonetheless, several players went home with their reputations enhanced, including Gavin Hamilton, who scored 217 runs at 54.25 and John Blain, who took 10 wickets at 21.00.
The 2001 ICC Trophy saw them finish 4th, losing a play-off game to Canada,[21] but they won the 2005 tournament, beating long-time rivals Ireland in the final. In 2004, Scotland further staked their claim 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.[22]
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.[23] 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.[24]
In June, they played their first ODI since the 1999 World Cup when they took on Pakistan in Edinburgh.[25] Without key players Dougie Brown and Navdeep Poonia, they lost by five wickets.[26] They finally got their first ODI win in the European Championships in August with a win over Holland in a rain-shortened game.[27] They again missed key players for some games in this tournament though, and thanks to their loss against Ireland, finished second in the tournament.[28]
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.[29] 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. "Scotland tour of Bangladesh, 2006/07". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 13 March 2016.</ref>
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.[32] Back in the UK, they competed in the Friends Provident Trophy, their only win coming against Lancashire.[33] They also drew an Intercontinental Cup match against United Arab Emirates.[34] An ODI against Pakistan in July was washed out.[35]
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.[36]
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.[37]
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.[38]
2010
In 2010, Scotland took part in the inaugural ECB 40 tournament.
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. The match was live-streamed online by Cricket Scotland in agreement with the ICC.[40]
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.[41]
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 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.
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.[44]
Scotland made their highest score in ODIs and the highest score by an Associate team against a Full Member team.[44]
Jonny Bairstow became the first batsman for England to score centuries in three consecutive ODIs.[44]
Locations of all stadiums which have hosted an international cricket match within Scotland
Scotland currently has five grounds which have hosted internationals.
The Grange Club in Edinburgh. The club itself was founded in 1832, and the current location has been in operation since 1872. The ground seats 5,000 people and has hosted 22 ODI's and 27 T20I's, including two matches from the 1999 Cricket World Cup.[46]
Titwood in Glasgow. Clydesdale Cricket Club, which was founded in 1848, moved here in 1876. Titwood hosted its first first-class match against Marylebone Cricket Club in July 1963. Between 1984 and 1986 the ground hosted an annual fixture against Ireland. It has hosted six ODI's, the most recent being in 2022.[47]
Mannofield Park in Aberdeen. Mannofield was also approved for ODI matches in 2006. The ground's history dates back to 1879 when Aberdeen University played host to Edinburgh University. The ground also welcomed Ireland in 1930 and was the stadium where Sir Donald Bradman, who scored his last century on British soil at the ground in 1948. It has hosted 22 ODI's and 2 T20I's. The ground has played host to 11 first-class matches, the last of which came in July 2013 when Scotland beat Kenya in the 2011–2013 ICC Intercontinental Cup.
Forthill in Dundee. Forthill is the home of Forfarshire Cricket Club and it hosted the game between Forfarshire and Aberdeenshire in 1884. In the 20th century several first-class matches took place there, including games against touring Indians and New Zealanders. It hosted its first ODI's in 2024, playing host to Namibia and Oman in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2.[48]
Notable Scottish cricketers
Many famous cricketers have hailed from Scotland, most notably former England captain, Mike Denness, who was born in Lanarkshire and represented Scotland both before and during his time at Kent.
Douglas Jardine, a particularly infamous cricketer, and a man who was vilified in Australia, was born in British India to Scottish parents. He developed leg theory, which led to the notorious "Bodyline" Ashes series in 1932-33. Despite living most of his life in England, Jardine gave his children Scottish names and asked for his ashes to be scattered in Scotland.
Another Scottish spinner was Peter Such, who took 849 first-class wickets and made 11 test appearances for England. In a 1999 test against New Zealand, Such broke the world-record for the longest duck, surviving 51 balls and allowing England to add 31 for the ninth wicket in a scrappy draw.
Brian Hardie was a major contributor to the Essex side of the 1970s and 1980s, which won four County Championships, three Sunday Leagues, a Benson & Hedges Cup and a NatWest Trophy, in which he was Man of the Match after scoring 110 in a one-run victory.. The regular opening partner of Graham Gooch, Hardie retired with more than 18,000 first class runs.
Stirling-born all-rounder Dougie Brown enjoyed a fifteen-year career with Warwickshire and represented both England and Scotland.
The same was the case for all-rounder Gavin Hamilton, who played for both Yorkshire and Durham in domestic cricket, and starred in the 1999 World Cup for Scotland, before playing a test for England in the same year.
‡ 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 5 August 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.
The Kenya men's national cricket team represents the Republic of Kenya in international cricket. Kenya is an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) which has Twenty20 International (T20I) status after the ICC granted T20I status to all its members.
The Nepal men's national cricket team represents Nepal in men's International cricket and is governed by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). They have been a Associate Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1996. Nepal were awarded Twenty20 International (T20I) status by the ICC in June 2014 until the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier and earned One Day International (ODI) status in 2018.
The Hong Kong men's national cricket team is the team that represents Hong Kong in international competitions. It played its first match in 1866 and has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1969.
The Bermuda men's national cricket team represents the British overseas territory of Bermuda in international cricket. The team is organised by the Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB), which became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1966.
The United Arab Emirates men's national cricket team is the team that represents the United Arab Emirates in international cricket. They are governed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) which became an Affiliate Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1989 and an Associate Member the following year. Since 2005, the ICC's headquarters have been located in Dubai.
The Netherlands men's national cricket team, usually referred as "The Flying Dutchmen" is a team that represents the Netherlands in men's international cricket and is administered by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association.
The Ireland men's cricket team represents all of Ireland in international cricket. The Irish Cricket Union, operating under the brand Cricket Ireland, is the sport's governing body in Ireland, and they organise the international team. The team have a number of home grounds, including Malahide in County Dublin, Stormont, Belfast, Bready in the north-west and Clontarf in Dublin city. A further ground is planned for the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Dublin for 2030. Due to the short season allowed by the Irish climate, and lack of large scale facilities, Ireland also occasionally play 'home matches' in venues in England and further abroad.
The Afghanistan men's national cricket team represents Afghanistan in men's international cricket. It is a full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) status.
The Denmark national cricket team represents Denmark in international cricket. They have been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1966, and have previously been a part of the ICC's High Performance Programme.
The Oman men's national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Oman in international matches and is governed by Oman Cricket, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2000, and gained associate status in 2014. The national side has played matches at the Twenty20 International level. On 24 April 2019, Oman achieved One-Day International status for the first time until 2023, after they beat tournament hosts Namibia by four wickets in 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two.
The Papua New Guinea men's national cricket team, nicknamed the Barramundis, is the team that represents the country of Papua New Guinea in international cricket. The team is organised by Cricket PNG, which has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1973. Papua New Guinea previously had One-Day International (ODI) status, which it gained by finishing fourth in 2014 World Cup Qualifier. Papua New Guinea lost both their ODI and T20I status in March 2018 after losing a playoff match against Nepal during the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, a result that earned ODI and T20I status for their opponents. On 26 April 2019, Papua New Guinea defeated Oman to secure a top-four finish in the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two and reclaim their ODI status.
The Malaysia national cricket team represents the country of Malaysia in international cricket matches. The team is organised by the Malaysian Cricket Association which has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1967.
The Scotland women's national cricket team, nicknamed the Wildcats, represents Scotland in international women's cricket. The team is organised by Cricket Scotland, an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Pieter Marinus Seelaar is a Dutch cricketer and a former captain of the national team. He is a right-handed batsman and a left-arm orthodox spin bowler. Having played for the Netherlands at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels, he made his senior debut in a C&G Trophy game against Warwickshire on 3 May 2005. He then played in the ICC Trophy later that year. He made his One Day International debut against Sri Lanka on 6 July 2006. Two years later, Seelaar made his Twenty20 International debut.
Richard Douglas Berrington is a Scottish cricketer. He played for Scotland in the 2006 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka, and has since played first-class, One Day International, and List A cricket for Scotland. In June 2022, Berrington was named as the captain of the national team, after Kyle Coetzer stepped down from leading the side.
Basanta Regmi is a Nepalese professional cricketer. An all-rounder, he bats left-handed and bowls left-arm orthodox spin. He made his debut for Nepal against Namibia in March 2006. He was one of the eleven cricketers to play in Nepal's first ever One Day International (ODI) match, against the Netherlands, in August 2018.
Cricket has been played in the Netherlands since at least the 19th century, and in the 1860s was considered a major sport in the country. The sport is governed by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association.
Mohammad Shahzad Mohammadi is an Afghan cricketer who has represented his country in all three international formats. He is a right-handed opening batsman and a wicketkeeper. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in August 2009 against the Netherlands.
The Namibia men's national cricket team is the men's cricket team representing the Republic of Namibia in international cricket. It is organised by Cricket Namibia, which became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1992.
Shaiman Anwar Butt is a former cricketer who played for the United Arab Emirates national cricket team. A powerful right-handed top-order batsman, he made his debut for the United Arab Emirates national side in December 2010, having previously represented Sialkot and Servis Industries in Pakistani domestic tournaments. In March 2021, Shaiman was found guilty of corruption and banned from all cricket for eight years.
Perry, Jake (2020). The Secret Game: Tales of Scottish Cricket. Shrewsbury: Chequered Flag Publishing. ISBN9781999777463.
—————; Heatly, Gary (2022). Playing with Teeth: How Scotland's Cricketers Broke the Cycle of Glorious Failure. Chichester, West Sussex: Pitch Publishing. ISBN9781801501217.
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Australia at New Road, Worcester; 16 May 1999
Nepal at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas; 4 November 2024
Pakistan at Kingsmead, Durban; 12 September 2007
