SCOTLAND MEN'S U19 SQUAD NAMED FOR EUROPE QUALIFIER
The Scotland Men’s Under 19s squad has been named for the forthcoming ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Europe Qualifier taking place across Dundee and Angus.
Scotland will take on Denmark, Guernsey, Jersey, the Netherlands and Sweden, with the six teams vying for one qualification spot at January’s World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The 14-player squad will be led by Forfarshire’s Thomas Knight, and features two players who were involved at the 2024 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Rory Grant and Manu Saraswat.
The Scots get their qualifier underway on Thursday 31 July against Sweden at Arbroath United CC, with Forfarshire and Strathmore also hosting matches throughout the week-long event.
Keegan Russell, Scotland Men’s U19 Head Coach, said:
“It’s a huge opportunity heading into the World Cup Qualifier. The boys are really excited to get going, but we’re also clear that it’s going to be a tough tournament, and the standard of cricket will be very high.
“Being able to play at home is something we’re looking forward to, we’re used to the conditions and suit the cricket we want to play – and it will be great to get a good home support down to get behind the boys.
“The preparation has gone well so far, and I feel like we’re hitting our straps nicely. We’ve still got work to do, but we’re happy with the trajectory of our performances and the progress that the group are marking.
“We’ve got an important period ahead of us now with some good cricket as we build into the qualifier. We travel to Ireland next week for three matches, which will be a really good test. Playing against a strong Ireland team, who have automatically qualified for the World Cup, will show us the standard we want to be at.
“I’m pleased with the balance of the squad that we’ve selected, the roles we have covered throughout the 14, and also the dynamics in the group both on and off the field. A big focus for us has been the culture we can build in this team, right from the pre-season camp in Millfield, and it’s been great to see the strong culture that the boys have been instrumental in developing.
“It’s good to have Manu (Saraswat) and Rory (Grant) still involved having been in the group in the last cycle. It’s invaluable having that experience, and them being able to share that with the group – but we know we’ve got really good depth, and there’s 14 boys there that can all do a job and make big contributions in the qualifier.”
Scotland squad:
| Thomas Knight (c) | Forfarshire |
| Finlay Carter | Whitstable |
| Max Chaplin | New Farnley |
| George Cutler | Falkland |
| Rory Grant | Grange and Leamington Spa |
| Finlay Jones | Maldon and Essex |
| Ollie Jones | Ayr |
| Ali Khan | Clydesdale |
| Olly Pillinger | Stewart's Melville |
| Ethan Ramsay | Hartley Wintney |
| Theo Robinson | Shenfield |
| Manu Saraswat | Aberdeenshire |
| Ram Sharma | Stewart's Melville |
| Jake Woodhouse | Ayr |
Scotland schedule (All games start at 1100 UK):
| Thursday 31 July | Scotland vs Sweden | Arbroath United CC |
| Friday 1 August | Scotland vs Jersey | Forfarshire CC |
| Sunday 3 August | Scotland vs Guernsey | Strathmore CC |
| Monday 4 August | Scotland vs Denmark | Arbroath United CC |
| Wednesday 6 August | Scotland vs Netherlands | Forfarshire CC |