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Scotland have announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 (CWCL2) tri-series in Nepal, handing a maiden call-up to uncapped spinner Ollie Jones while recalling batter Michael English for the crucial tour.
Jones earns his first senior selection after impressing at the ICC Men's U19 World Cup earlier this year, according to ICC. English, meanwhile, returns to the squad after featuring in just one ODI in July 2024, where he made an immediate impact with a match-winning 107 off 122 balls against Namibia and was named Player of the Match. Led by Richie Berrington, Scotland will face hosts Nepal and table-toppers USA in a four-match series at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Nepal. The team currently sits second in the CWCL2 standings with 34 points and will be aiming to close the gap on the United States while strengthening their chances of progressing to next year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Global Qualifier. Berrington, who has accumulated 738 runs in the ongoing cycle, continues to captain a settled core that includes George Munsey, Scotland's leading run-scorer with 1049 runs, and Brandon McMullen, who has been effective with the ball, claiming 35 wickets so far. The squad also sees the return of left-arm seamer Bradley Currie, who has taken 32 wickets in the competition. Currie missed the recent Namibia tour due to illness; Scotland won the series 2-1 in T20Is. However, regulars Chris McBride and Mackenzie Jones are unavailable for selection. Head coach Owen Dawkins highlighted the importance of the tour, particularly against strong opposition and in challenging conditions. "It's exciting to have the opportunity to travel to Nepal and play this series against two very strong sides," he said. "The country is hugely passionate about cricket, and the crowds are always very vocal and fun to play in front of. We're very familiar with our hosts after playing them in Dundee last summer and then facing them at the recent ICC T20 World Cup, which was a fantastic game that we didn't quite come out on the right side of. They are extremely talented, as are the USA team who sit top of the CWCL2 standings, so we know we'll have to play to our best to beat both sides," said Dawkins. This will be Scotland's first visit to Nepal since February 2023, when they lifted the trophy at the end of a previous CWCL2 series. Squad: Richie Berrington (C), Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Jasper Davidson, Oliver Davidson, Michael English, Owen Gould, Jack Jarvis, Ollie Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt. Fixtures (all matches at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur): May 12 - Scotland vs Nepal May 14 - Scotland vs USA May 18 - Scotland vs Nepal May 20 - Scotland vs USA. (ANI)
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