Scotland’s T20 World Cup plans are back on schedule after late-arriving visas allowed Safyaan Sharif and Zainullah Ihsan to join the squad in Bengaluru on Sunday. The pair’s travel documents had been held up last week, raising the prospect of an under-strength side for Monday’s warm-up match against Afghanistan, but emergency intervention from Indian officials fast-tracked their approval.
Sharif, who has Pakistani heritage, admitted the delay left him anxious. “It has been one hell of a week,” he said on Cricket Scotland’s Instagram feed before boarding the flight. “Once we found out we were going to the World Cup, obviously I couldn’t believe it… I’m pretty excited, and just can’t wait to get on that park and put in a performance for Scotland. Thanks to the Scotland team and the efforts that they’ve put in just to get us on this flight.”
Ihsan, born in Afghanistan but raised in Aberdeen, travelled with Sharif and trained lightly on arrival. Team management confirmed that both bowlers will be available for selection against Afghanistan, though their workloads will be monitored after the long journey.
Tom Bruce is the only squad member still abroad, finishing Plunket Shield duties with Central Stags in New Zealand. He is expected in India later this week.
Scotland were drafted into the tournament only nine days ago as late replacements for Bangladesh, who withdrew citing domestic security concerns. Head coach Doug Watson had 48 hours to confirm a 15-man party, most of whom had been in off-season mode. “Logistics have been frantic, but the lads have stayed calm,” Watson said. “We’ll focus on basics in these warm-ups and build rhythm quickly.”
Placed in Group C, Scotland will face West Indies, Italy, England and Nepal. The top two sides progress to the Super Eights – the second group phase – a stage Scotland agonisingly missed in 2024 after rain ruined their match against England and Australia edged them by five runs. Chief executive Trudy Lindblade reflected last week: “This is not how we wanted to go to a World Cup.”
While circumstances are unusual, the squad insist opportunity outweighs upheaval. Monday’s outing, followed by a second practice match against Oman, should reveal whether the visa drama was merely a hiccup or a genuine setback.
