Zainullah Ihsan, the young Afghan-born pacer who moved to Scotland four years ago, is overjoyed to be part of the T20 World Cup after missing the age cutoff for the U-19 edition. Scotland secured a spot in the tournament following Bangladesh’s withdrawal from their India fixtures, giving Ihsan a last-minute opportunity
Scotland’s Zainullah Ihsan during training in Kolkata on Friday. Pic/Getty Images
Zainullah Ihsan missed the cutoff age for the Under-19 World Cup that ended on Friday, but the stars have now aligned nicely for the young fast bowler. “I was a little sad but, look, now I’m in the T20 World Cup!” gushed the Afghan pacer, who moved to Scotland four years ago.
Scotland, having failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup, found a berth after Bangladesh refused to play in India. In the scramble to put together a team in a short period of time, Ihsan made the cut. “I was half hoping, half expecting, but when I actually got the news of my call-up from the [team] coach, I was in shock.”
Despite being short on preparation, the Scots have arrived with bubbly confidence. “We’ve beaten them twice [2022 T20 World Cup and in an ODI in 2023] recently, so I don’t see why we can’t do it again,” reminded left-arm spinner Mark Watt on the eve of their opener against West Indies at the Eden Gardens. “They are dicey opponents,” concurred WI head coach Darren Sammy, who was the skipper in 2016 when they last won the T20 World Cup.
Watt said they are “very sympathetic towards Bangladeshi players,” but also believe that they belong here. “We believe that we can beat teams higher ranked than us.”
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