Wright tips young Scots to seal place in Dubai

CRAIG Wright last night backed his young side to shrug off the loss of Ruaidhri Smith by qualifying for the U19 World Cup.

Glamorgan all-rounder Smith has been banned from next month’s qualifying tournament — despite having already played for the Scots in last year’s global event.

Smith does not meet the ICC’s development criteria for the qualifier but will be eligible to play if Scotland reach next year’s tournament.

Wright, who yesterday named his 14-man squad, said: “Ruaidhri is a class player and anyone would miss him.

“But we have a really talented squad of players and we are capable of qualifying for theWorld Cup.”

Scotland’s task has been made harder by the ICC’s decision to stage regional qualifying tournaments, meaning only one European country will qualify for next year’s competition in Dubai.

Wright added: “We just have to get on with it and make sure it’s us who qualify. There is no margin for error but our recent record is solid and we have to continue that.”

The squad features four players — Ross McLean, Nick Farrar, Andrew Umeed and Gavin Main— who were at the last World Cup inAustralia.

Scotland kick-off against Jersey in Voorburg and conclude their fivematch campaign against Ireland at the same venue.