WORLDCUPTRIO READYTOIMPRESS
Scotland players to star for Ferguslie
a newspaper
Ferguslie Cricket Club is preparing for the beginning of a fresh campaign in the Western District Cricket Union competitions after a busy winter.
A number of players gained representative honours at international level – experiences which they hope to carry forward into the new season for their club.
Youngsters Qasim
Khan (bowler) and Bahadar
Esakhiel and
Uzair Ahmad
(both batters) played for
Scotland
Under-19s in the Cricket
World Cup at that age level in
South Africa.
And all three played prominent parts in the team performance which left them defeated, but not disgraced, in their three group games against the host nation, England and West Indies before they finished off with a spectacular win against Namibia in their final play-off game.
In the group stages, Khan, in the unusual role of an opening bowler, took important wickets while Ahmad helped keep his side competitive with several steady knocks in the middle order when they needed to push the run rate along.
However, their team-mate Esakhiel stole the show in their final match against Namibia with a sensational 76 not out which earned him the prestigious man of the match title.
Esakhiel’s undefeated innings took Scotland from an average score to an impressive 251 for six which proved too much for the stunned opponents who fell three runs short of the required total.
Esakhiel’s knock included no fewer than half-a-dozen sixes – four of them in a spectacular final over – to propel Scotland to an unlikely victory.
Ferguslie Cricket Club president Tim Preston-Jones said: “We’re very proud of what the three youngsters achieved during what was a wonderful experience for them.
“They are very important players for us already in our first XI, and opportunities like this give them experience which is difficult to gather.
“So, we’re looking forward to seeing what their activity in the winter brings to
We’re proud of what the three youngsters achieved
us once the season begins in earnest on the first weekend in May, after a series of warm-up matches – if that’s the correct expression to describe a Scottish spring – in April.
“We’re all looking forward to a busy season with renewed hope that it’s another successful one for the club both on and off the pitch.”
Ferguslie begin their 2024 West Premiership One campaign at home to Stirling County on Saturday, May 4.