Category Sports News

Scotland are confident visa issues will not delay their players’ arrival at the men’s T20 World Cup as chief executive Trudy Lindblade detailed the frantic preparations involved in their “unique” last-minute tournament plans.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) brought in Scotland to replace Bangladesh on Saturday, with the event set to start on 7 February.

It came after the ICC rejected a request from Bangladesh to move their games from India to Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament. Bangladesh had cited safety concerns amid growing tensions between the countries.

Scotland were given the spot courtesy of being the highest-ranked team – in 14th – not already at the event.

Cricket Scotland officials have been working around the clock since Lindblade picked up a call from ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta at the start of last weekend.

There is still a tight turnaround to get all of their players, including seamer Safyaan Sharif who has Pakistani heritage, visas in time to enter India.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have been invited, but it is certainly in unique and challenging circumstances,” Lindblade told BBC Stumped.

“We’re all confident at the moment we can get everybody out there.”

Scotland are hoping to bring on board a major sponsor and are optimistic a new playing kit for the tournament will arrive before they leave.

“If we’ve got kits, that’s a bonus. If not, you might see us in our regular Cricket Scotland playing kits,” Lindblade said.

“We’ve got seven days to turn around a sponsor.”

Scotland have effectively inherited Bangladesh’s itinerary for the World Cup and will initially be based in Bengaluru.

They are expected to play warm-up matches against Afghanistan and Namibia on 2 and 4 February at the Board of Control for Cricket in India centre of excellence in nearby Singahalli.

Scotland are scheduled to play West Indies on the opening day of the tournament at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and do not envisage that fixture being pushed back at this stage.

Scotland squad for T20 World Cup: Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross (wicketkeeper), Brad Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Bradley Wheal.

A fourth-place finish at last summer’s Europe Qualifier looked to have cost Scotland a place at the 2026 T20 World Cup as the Netherlands and Italy secured the two spots on offer for the region from that event.

Lindblade has already spoken to Cricket Jersey counterpart Sarah Gomersall, given the Channel Islanders might have felt somewhat aggrieved having finished above Scotland in third place at the Europe Qualifier.

Her diplomacy extended to expressing sympathies to Bangladesh’s players who will miss out on the tournament.

Cricket Scotland had waited for the call to come from the ICC out of respect to their counterparts at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

“We do have sympathy for the Bangladesh players and their fans because you know as cricketers they just want to play the game,” Lindblade said.

“But these are circumstances that are beyond our control. They are matters for the ICC and the BCB to work through. But when it comes to that, absolutely, we’re human beings, so that empathy does come there.

“I’d like to think that it’s not becoming a more divided sport and if it is, that we can see that and we can work together to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”

As an Associate member, Scotland receive approximately £2.7m ($3.8m) from the ICC revenue distribution model.

It is a pittance compared to full members – England receive close to £33m in addition to lucrative broadcast deals.

Participation in the World Cup will provide Scotland with a valuable cash injection – they picked up £203,000 ($250,000) from the T20 World Cup in 2024 – but the late nature of inclusion means a greater outlay as well.

Scotland will take two travelling reserves, something they would not normally do for financial reasons, given the risk of injury to players, and they hope the ICC will cover the cost.

“I think the conversations will happen if there’s anything that we’ve had to unreasonably do,” Lindblade said.

“As any team that qualifies for a World Cup, there are financial benefits with that. So we need to make sure that we make the most of it.”

Scotland are confident visa issues will not delay their players’ arrival at the men’s T20 World Cup as chief executive Trudy Lindblade detailed the frantic preparations involved in their “unique” last-minute tournament plans.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) brought in Scotland to replace Bangladesh on Saturday, with the event set to start on 7 February.

It came after the ICC rejected a request from Bangladesh to move their games from India to Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament. Bangladesh had cited safety concerns amid growing tensions between the countries.

Scotland were given the spot courtesy of being the highest-ranked team – in 14th – not already at the event.

Cricket Scotland officials have been working around the clock since Lindblade picked up a call from ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta at the start of last weekend.

There is still a tight turnaround to get all of their players, including seamer Safyaan Sharif who has Pakistani heritage, visas in time to enter India.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have been invited, but it is certainly in unique and challenging circumstances,” Lindblade told BBC Stumped.

“We’re all confident at the moment we can get everybody out there.”

Scotland are hoping to bring on board a major sponsor and are optimistic a new playing kit for the tournament will arrive before they leave.

“If we’ve got kits, that’s a bonus. If not, you might see us in our regular Cricket Scotland playing kits,” Lindblade said.

“We’ve got seven days to turn around a sponsor.”

Scotland have effectively inherited Bangladesh’s itinerary for the World Cup and will initially be based in Bengaluru.

They are expected to play warm-up matches against Afghanistan and Namibia on 2 and 4 February at the Board of Control for Cricket in India centre of excellence in nearby Singahalli.

Scotland are scheduled to play West Indies on the opening day of the tournament at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and do not envisage that fixture being pushed back at this stage.

Scotland squad for T20 World Cup: Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross (wicketkeeper), Brad Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Bradley Wheal.

A fourth-place finish at last summer’s Europe Qualifier looked to have cost Scotland a place at the 2026 T20 World Cup as the Netherlands and Italy secured the two spots on offer for the region from that event.

Lindblade has already spoken to Cricket Jersey counterpart Sarah Gomersall, given the Channel Islanders might have felt somewhat aggrieved having finished above Scotland in third place at the Europe Qualifier.

Her diplomacy extended to expressing sympathies to Bangladesh’s players who will miss out on the tournament.

Cricket Scotland had waited for the call to come from the ICC out of respect to their counterparts at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

“We do have sympathy for the Bangladesh players and their fans because you know as cricketers they just want to play the game,” Lindblade said.

“But these are circumstances that are beyond our control. They are matters for the ICC and the BCB to work through. But when it comes to that, absolutely, we’re human beings, so that empathy does come there.

“I’d like to think that it’s not becoming a more divided sport and if it is, that we can see that and we can work together to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”

As an Associate member, Scotland receive approximately £2.7m ($3.8m) from the ICC revenue distribution model.

It is a pittance compared to full members – England receive close to £33m in addition to lucrative broadcast deals.

Participation in the World Cup will provide Scotland with a valuable cash injection – they picked up £203,000 ($250,000) from the T20 World Cup in 2024 – but the late nature of inclusion means a greater outlay as well.

Scotland will take two travelling reserves, something they would not normally do for financial reasons, given the risk of injury to players, and they hope the ICC will cover the cost.

“I think the conversations will happen if there’s anything that we’ve had to unreasonably do,” Lindblade said.

“As any team that qualifies for a World Cup, there are financial benefits with that. So we need to make sure that we make the most of it.”

With France defending their title, Ireland trying to regain the crown they won in 2023 and 2024 and England on an 11-match winning streak, Scotland are flying firmly under the radar heading into the Six Nations.

With arguably the strongest and deepest squad they have ever assembled in the professional era, the Scots have been many people’s dark horses in recent years, but not this time.

Having finished fourth in the past two campaigns, and coming off a dispiriting autumn series, not many are expecting Gregor Townsend’s side to make a serious charge at a first title since the final edition of the Five Nations back in 1999.

As Scotland’s opener in Rome on 7 February comes into sharper focus, however, the skipper wants to embrace what might be possible for a side looking to finally fulfil its potential.

“This question always lands to lifting the trophy and I don’t like going into a tournament not thinking about doing that,” said Tuipulotu, who leads Scotland into the Six Nations as captain for the first time having missed last season’s tournament through injury.

With the national team picking up some big one-off wins in recent years, Glasgow winning a URC title in 2024, and a sharp upturn in the number of Scots selected for the past two British and Irish Lions tours, hopes have been raised for some that maybe the long wait for a Six Nations title could be ended.

Scotland and expectation tend to be uncomfortable partners, though, and producing five big performances to put themselves into contention has proved a bridge too far for this side under Townsend.

The smart money is on French, Irish or English hands being on the trophy when all is said and done, but Tuipulotu believes it may be no bad thing for Scotland if all eyes are elsewhere when looking for potential champions.

“Those teams deserve the responsibility and probably the pressure to be the favourites of the tournament,” he said.

“[For us] I think it just means history. I want to motivate the boys with just that – you can leave your name etched in Scottish rugby history and that should be the goal, that’s why we play. It ‘s important we own that responsibility.

“That’s the big picture. The smaller picture is that it’s World Cup a year and a half away and it’s important to show a progression on what we’ve been building towards.

Noah Caluori is constantly setting, reviewing, and, invariably, achieving goals.

The 19-year-old is confident in stating them publicly as well.

He explained last week that, by the end of this career, he wants to be one of the game’s all-time greats.

Medium term, he wants to be a regular England starter by next year’s Rugby World Cup.

And, more immediately, he wants to end this season in Prem Rugby’s top three try-scorers.

He can probably pencil in a tick in that last box already.

He sits clear at the top of the try-scoring pile with 12 – two more than Tommy Freeman and four more than Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who are quite possibly England’s starting wings against Wales in a fortnight’s time.

Caluori’s five-try haul against Sale in October, on his first Prem start, demonstrated his helium-heeled leap.

For his second try, a delicious late swerve on to Elliot Daly’s long pass left Ethan Grayson flailing, before the afterburners did for Elliott Obatoyinbo.

The other three scores were all about acceleration, anticipation and finishing, rather than aerial ability.

Critics might question whether his tries only come in gluts against well-beaten teams. They would be wrong to. Caluori, who also crossed twice in December’s defeat by Exeter, was making only fifth Prem start of the season.

Amid a clutch of replacement cameos, he is scoring a try on average every 34 minutes.

There were 48 players named in total in England’s Six Nations squad announcement on Friday – 36 players in the squad, five rehabilitating alongside them and another seven name-checked as being unavailable for selection because of injury.

Among all those options, Bristol were represented only once, with prop Ellis Genge making the cut.

There will be plenty at Ashton Gate who think the Pennyhill pack of Bears should be larger.

Since losing away to Bath at the end of October, Bristol have won eight out of nine matches in the Prem and Champions Cup. And that one defeat by Bordeaux-Begles could easily have gone the other way.

Their latest victory, amid teeming rain away to Exeter, came with an old-school single-digit scoreline – 8-5 – and plenty of grit.

Although Louis Rees-Zammit’s blind-side foray and long pass through sheets of rain to find Noah Heward for the only try showed razzle-dazzle isn’t confined to the firm pitches at either end of the season.

Centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg – who will be available to England from November – is surely destined for a senior squad spot given the time and expertise invested by the Rugby Football Union in clarifying the South Africa-born centre’s eligibility with World Rugby.

Perhaps Bristol fans won’t be fuming for too long then.

Their side travel to Leicester (six names in England’s announcement) on the other side of the Six Nations break in a match with big top-four ramifications.

Law 18.2, sub-clause d, was the unlikely star of the weekend.

In the 78th minute of Northampton’s 43-29 away victory over Sale, Arron Reed attempted to swat back a box-kick, Saints’ England winger Freeman hacked the loose ball ahead and Henry Pollock gathered and galloped over for a Saints try.

The replay showed Freeman had one foot firmly in touch, while stretching the other back on to the field of play to boot the ball through for Pollock.

Instinctively, it looked wrong. He was in touch, he was in contact with the ball, the television match official would surely rule it out.

However, referee Anthony Woodthorpe was wiser.

The law book states: “The ball is not in touch if… a player, who is in touch, kicks or knocks the ball, but does not hold it, provided it has not reached the plane of touch.”

Freeman could not only kick the ball through with his other foot in touch, he could conceivably have reached infield it and batted it to a team-mate with his hand.

Jack van Poortvliet has 21 England caps.

It could easily be more.

He was the first-choice nine heading into the last Rugby World Cup, only to suffer a serious ankle injury in a warm-up match against Wales, ruling him out and opening the door for Alex Mitchell.

More poorly timed set-backs have checked his progress. A shoulder injury kept him out of the most recent autumn internationals. A knee complaint deprived him of the early rounds of last year’s Six Nations.

It was the highlight of a dashing performance, quick in thought and feet, which ended with him hobbling off 10 minutes from time.

Tigers coach Geoff Parling hoped it was only a dead leg

Finn Russell shushing the Shed has become an annual tradition.

The Bath string-puller first asked for a little less noise from the Gloucester hardcore in November 2023 after landing a touchline kick in a come-from-behind 45-27 win.

In October 2024, after Bath had triumphed 55-31, he pulled the same gesture down the lens of a post-match camera.

With Caluori marking one of his tries with a 45-degree torpedo dive and Pollock saluting nonplussed Sale fans on his way to the line, are score celebrations getting bolder?

Freeman’s sarcastic gesturing for a TMO review after seeing previous ‘tries’ chalked off in Northampton’s December win at Bath will still take some beating for this season.