Ferguslie duo miss out on making squad for England match
No luck for English and Tahir
Ferguslie Cricket Club’s Michael English and Hamza Tahir have both missed the cut to face England at The Grange.
The Paisley duo had been among the preliminary squad named for the eagerly anticipated clash between the two old rivals which takes place next week.
But the pair have unfortunately missed out on making the final side after the squad size was trimmed from 24 to 15 yesterday afternoon.
Both English and Tahir have been in sublime form for unbeaten Ferguslie at the start of the season, with batsman English smashing another century on Sunday.
They have also been regulars in the regional Western Warriors side at the start of the campaign where they caught the eye of selectors.
Scotland head coach Grant Bradburn admits it was a tough decision to make when it came to submitting his final squad. He said: “This has been our toughest squad to select to date, in terms of having so many players knocking on the door with strong performances.
“There has been a lot of cricket so far this season and outdoor training has been intense, so the players themselves have had ample opportunities to sort out the current pecking order.
“It has been our desire to create competition in every skill set and the selections across the two squads will reflect that. It has been so encouraging to see new faces earn their place and confirm their readiness for international cricket with repeat performances in Regional Series and ‘A’ Team cricket.
“Quality players have missed selection and are gutted not to feature this time, which is a strong sign of the depth that is evident now through the new Regional structure and Performance Academy.
“The squad has prepared well for the strong opposition we will face both in the home series and in the Netherlands Triseries, while there is excitement building for these fantastic opportunities the team have been striving for.
“Huge credit must go to Cricket Scotland for investing majorly in creating the chance to host the number one teams in the world. While, of course, there is huge respect for England, we have strong belief in our skilled players, combined with the smart game plan we will adopt.”
Kyle Coetzer will lead the side out in front of a sold out Grange on Sunday alongside Richie Berrington, who is named as vice-captain.
The in-form Dylan Budge and former captain Preston Mommsen are both included in a similar looking squad that went to Zimbabwe for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers.
The bowling attack again looks a strong facet of the squad with options of Brad Wheal, Safyaan Sharif, Alasdair Evans and Stuart Whittingham available.
Tom Sole is unfortunate to miss out after suffering a broken ankle playing for his club.
Scotland squad to face England: Kyle Coetzer (captain), Richie Berrington (vice-captain), Dylan Budge, Matthew Cross, Alasdair Evans, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, Preston Mommsen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal and Stuart Whittingham.