5 Scotland players to watch out for at T20 World Cup 2024 ft. Michael Leask

Scotland are one of the most exciting sides to watch out for in the upcoming T20 World Cup, slated to start on Saturday, June 1. They have been around the international circuit long enough and their moment of reckoning has come.

Scotland did rather well in the Qualifiers for the ODI World Cup held in Zimbabwe last year but could not qualify for the main event - Sri Lanka and the Netherlands won the race eventually.

Led by the austere Richie Berrington, the Scots will be keen on putting up a decent showing in the tournament this year and hope to showcase their skills to the world in the shortest format of the game.

​

In this listicle, we take a look at five players to watch out for in their squad:

#1. Richie Berrington

Skipper Richie Berrington, who is a more than handy top and middle-order batter for Scotland, will have to lead from the front in this tournament.

The 37-year-old has a lot of experience in international cricket and will hope that he can bring that to the fore in the tournament and help his team move forward.

Born in Pretoria, South Africa, Berrington earned his name to fame while helping Scotland to their first victory over an ICC Full Member when he scored a century off just 56 balls to set up a win over Bangladesh in a T20I in July 2012.

#2. George Munsey

Top-order batter George Munsey, who is known for his fabulous reverse sweeping, has to be one of the key players to watch out for in this T20 World Cup for Scotland.

Munsey has a good record in the 67 T20Is that he has played for his country so far, and strikes the ball at a healthy rate of 136.

He will be critical for the Scotsmen at the top of the order given that he is a southpaw and can destroy any plans set for him by opposition teams.

Munsey also plays the new ball well, which gives him a distinct advantage over opposition bowlers who will be keen on attacking his stumps.

#3. Michael Leask

Michael Leask, quite naturally, is one of the players to watch out for in this Scotland side.

The bowling all-rounder played a major role for his team in the ICC ODI World Cup Qualifiers held in Zimbabwe last season both with bat and ball in hand.

He is known to contribute with his handy off-spin in the middle overs whenever skipper Berrington asks him to roll his arms over.

However, what makes Leask stand apart from his teammates is his wonderous ability to hit the ball a long way with the bat in hand.

He is a more than decent lower-order batter, as he showed often in the World Cup Qualifiers last year, especially in the 91 he scored against Ireland.

#4. Mark Watt

Mark Watt in training with Scotland. [CS]

Left-arm spinner Mark Watt is a crucial cog in the Scottish wheel for the upcoming T20 World Cup, and all teams need to be wary of him.

He is known to get the ball to pitch in one area consistently and not waver too much in terms of his line and length.

The 27-year-old has played enough cricket to know how to stick to his strengths and not give too much of room for the opposition batters to free their arms.

Watt has an impressive economy of 6.81 in T20Is, and this is what will give him a lot of confidence while bowling to top-quality batters in the T20 World Cup.

#5. Matthew Cross

Wicketkeeper batter Matthew Cross, who usually opens the innings for Scotland in one-day cricket, has been asked to shift to the middle order in T20Is.

This has been done ostensibly to give him some time to get his eye in while rotating the strike and then take the bowlers on in the slog overs.

Cross is a crafty batter and is known for his street smartness in trying to eke singles and doubles out of seemingly challenging situations.

He is a fine gloveman as well and can be relied upon behind the stumps without much worry.

​