Scotland all-rounder Tom Bruce highlighted the need for Associate Nations to get more fixtures against top-ranked teams during the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Bruce cited Nepal and Italy’s strong performances against England as examples of potential and stressed that only regular exposure to Tier One nations can help these teams improve
Tom Bruce
Out of nine Associate Nations playing in the ongoing T20 World Cup, none have made it to the Super Eights. And Scotland all-rounder Tom Bruce believes unless these teams get exposure against top-ranked sides, little will change.
“There’s been talk of it [associates playing top teams], but ultimately until we see action, nothing’s going to happen. We’d love to see more cricket between Associate Nations and Tier One nations,” said Bruce giving the example of Nepal, who fought brilliantly against England, and Italy who also ran England close in the tournament, to suggest the potential of the lesser established teams.
“You see the success stories of Nepal and Italy here. You want to see more nations playing cricket and you want to see them playing against the best nations. Obviously, that decision is far above my pay grade, but when you look at the World Cup as a whole, it’s exciting watching Associate Nations play against Tier One nations, pushing them all the way,” added Bruce at the press conference on the eve of their match against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Scotland, who replaced Bangladesh only a few days before the start of the World Cup, have won a solitary game so far, beating Italy by 73 runs. When asked about the contest versus Nepal, Bruce said: “We’re hoping to see them [Nepal] at their best again tomorrow [Tuesday] so we can put on a good entertainment and good show for the crowd that’s going to come in.”
Meanwhile, former South African cricketer and Nepal’s current consultant coach Nic Pothas felt his team “was not learning fast enough as a group,” and hoped his players “do not repeat their errors against Scotland.”
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