CRICKETERTIM HASAWORLDY Preston-Jones stars in Over-60s World Cup Finals
Talented team
Ferguslie Cricket Club’s Tim Preston-Jones has lifted the lid on an incredible experience at the Over-60s World Cup.
The Meikleriggs president was a member of a Rest of the World XI (RoTW) taking part in the tournament in India.
The squad did themselves proud as they beat the hosts before losing to eventual champions Australia.
Tim’s trip followed the recent successful performances of club trio Qasim Khan, Bahadar Esakhiel and Uzair Ahmad who represented Scotland at the Under-19s World Cup in South Africa this winter.
And while his adventure was not without its difficult moments, it provided Tim with the experience of a lifetime. He explained: “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world although there were several disappointments along the way.
“All of the players in our original 17-man squad had to self-finance for the trip and, because of visa difficulties which led to the Indian authorities denying access to those squad players with Indian authority, we were down to 14 before the fixtures even got underway.
“This was a huge blow, not just for the team, but the individuals concerned, including my former Kelburne/Ferguslie colleague Javid Ashraf, who had completed all the pre-tournament preparation.
“Two full sides, in the shape of Pakistan, the holders, and Bangladesh had to withdraw at the last minute due to similar visa restrictions imposed on their entire squad.”
Tim continued: “In our case, the fixtures had to be quickly redrawn, meaning that there were only six teams in each group, instead of the original seven.
“Meanwhile, we were down to a bare 14-man squad when the plan had been that, in the searing heat (sometimes 35 degrees) and humidity in Chennai, we were unable to rotate the squad as much as was intended.
“Fitness was a major factor in the ties, playing in conditions unfamiliar to the majority of our squad, which included myself and six other Scots in the final 14.
“The competitor standard was very high, with two former international players Eddo Brandes (Zimbabwe) and Aasif Karim taking part, the latter having won the man of the match award in the 2003 World Cup when he took five wickets for Kenya when they beat Australia.
“This time he played for the RoTW side.”
After chasing down 300 to see off India, the RoTW team very narrowly lost to the Aussies who, at one stage, were chasing 160 for a win and were toiling at 95 for six before staging a recovery to avoid what would undoubtedly have been the major upset of the tournament.
Australia then beat England by eight wickets to become world champions.
Tim said: “The whole experience was something special for various reasons.
“We were invited to the British High Commission in Chennai and were honoured with a tour and meal at the Madras test ground.
“The wheels have already been set in motion to register Scotland in their own right with the International Masters Committee (IMC) to allow us to compete under our own flag in future Over-40, 50 and 60 internationals, which is very big news indeed for the sport in this country.
“The next Over-60 World Cup coming in 2026 will be open to anyone born in 1966 or earlier, and who was born or plays in Scotland.
“It is very likely that we will have sufficient players meeting that criterion to allow us to seek entry and ensure Scotland is represented at that level, which is a very exciting development indeed.”