Bowler Hamza will fly the flag for Scots in Oman

Ferguslie Cricket Club bowler Hamza Tahir has received the call for Scotland’s first tour of Oman.

Tahir, who played a pivotal role in the Paisley side’s title-winning 2018 season, has been recalled to the side having impressed last year.

The 23- year- old won the Western Premier Division with Ferguslie, taking 25 wickets in the process as well as reaching the semi-final of the Citylets Scottish Cup.

He will be a member of a 14-strong side selected by interim head coach Toby Bailey.

Eleven of the group featured in the team’s last international assignments back in June – the ODI victory over England, the T20I series against Pakistan, and the T20I series triumph over Ireland and the Netherlands.

And there is also room for two new faces. Adrian Neill and Chris Greaves earn their first senior call- ups after impressing for Scotland A and in domestic cricket. Ruaidhri Smith also returns after a strong season with Glamorgan.

Bailey said: “We are really excited to be playing cricket again.

“A number of players have had opportunities to play abroad in the winter, but most have been developing their skills indoors which were identified in La Manga and are itching to put them to the test in Oman.

“It is also fantastic that Calum MacLeod, Safyaan Sharif and Kyle Coetzer have had opportunities to play in T20 leagues around the world, raising the profile of Scottish Cricket.

“The squad has the balance of attacking dynamic cricket with points of difference which will be essential in Oman and the T20 World Cup Qualifier later in the year.

“We also wanted to introduce the leg spin skill set of Chris Greaves and it will be exciting to see this other dimension added to our spin unit. Chris impressed at the end of the Tilney T20 series and in La Manga. He also adds strength to the batting line up down the order and has recently been training with Pakistan in South Africa, learning from Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan.

“We are looking forward to the challenge of continuing the success of last year, and the quadrangular tournament and one day series against Oman represent an ideal opportunity to do this.”

Scotland will tackle Oman, Ireland and Netherlands in a T20I Quadrangular beginning on February 13, before taking on the hosts in a three-match 50-over series.