Scotland national cricket team

The first recorded cricket match in Scotland took place in Alloa in 1785.[10] It would be another eighty years, however, before Scotland's national side played their first full match, against the English county Surrey in 1865, which they won by 172 runs.

The first Scottish Cricket Union was formed in 1879, and the national team beat Australia by 7 wickets three years later. The cricket union became defunct in 1883, and Grange Cricket Club took over the administration of the game until 1909. The first match against Ireland took place in Dublin in 1888, with Ireland winning. They also played South Africa, West Indies, an all-Indian team, and New Zealand before the start of World War II.

1948 saw Australia visit Scotland for two games at the end of their tour of England. These games, both of which were won by the Australians, were to be the last international games for Don Bradman. The Don signed off in typical style, making a fine unbeaten 123 in the innings victory.[11]

Scotland first competed in English domestic cricket in 1980, when they competed in the Benson & Hedges Cup for the first time. Three years later they took part in the NatWest Trophy. Their first Benson & Hedges win came against Lancashire in 1986.

The most famous cricketers to have come from Scotland are probably the former England captain, Mike Denness, Warwickshire all-rounder Dougie Brown, and former England Test player Gavin Hamilton. Another great Scottish cricketer was Brian Hardie, who was a major contributor to the successful Essex side of the 1970s and 1980s. Possibly one of the best spinners and certainly a respected journalist was the aptly named Ian Peebles,[12] who was one of the cricketers of the year in 1931 alongside Don Bradman.

The most infamous cricketer, a man who was vilified in Australia, was a Scot, Douglas Jardine, father to and inventor of "Body Theory", which is well documented under "Bodyline". Jardine was born in British India, and died in Switzerland, spending most of his life in England. However, his parents were Scottish. He asked for his ashes to be scattered in Scotland and gave his own children Scottish names.

In 1992 Scotland severed their ties with the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) and England, and gained Associate Membership of the ICC in their own right in 1994.[7] They competed in the ICC Trophy for the first time in 1997, finishing third and qualifying for the 1999 World Cup, where they lost all their games.[13] The 2001 ICC Trophy saw them finish 4th, losing a play-off game to Canada,[14] but they won the 2005 tournament, beating long-time rivals Ireland in the final. 2004 saw Scotland first confirm themselves as one of the leading associate nations by winning the inaugural Intercontinental Cup. However, they did not progress beyond the first round in the 2005 tournament.[15]

16 May 1999 Scorecard

Scotland  181/7 (50 overs)	v	Australia 182/4 (44.5 overs)
Gavin Hamilton 34 (42) Shane Warne 3/39 (10 overs)		Mark Waugh 67 (114) Nick Dyer 2/43 (10 overs)

Australia won by 6 wickets New Road, Worcester, England Umpires: Steve Dunne (NZ) and Peter Willey (Eng) Player of the match: Mark Waugh (Aus)

Scotland's Ryan Watson plays through backward point for a boundary against India at Glasgow's Titwood ground, 16 August 2007

March 2006 saw Scotland embark on a pre-season tour to Barbados. They performed with some credit, although they only won one of their 6 games, against a Barbados XI.[16] They owed much of their success to Nik Morton, who re-qualified to represent Scotland internationally in 2004. They competed in the C & G Trophy in English domestic cricket in the early part of the 2006 English cricket season. They performed better than expected, winning three of their nine games, and finishing eighth in the Northern conference.[17]

In June, they played their first ODI since the 1999 World Cup when they took on Pakistan in Edinburgh.[18] Without key players Dougie Brown and Navdeep Poonia, they lost by five wickets.[19] They finally got their first ODI win in the European Championships in August with a win over Holland in a rain-shortened game.[20] They again missed key players for some games in this tournament though, and thanks to their loss against Ireland, finished second in the tournament.[21]

During 2006 and early 2007, Scotland participated in the third edition of the Intercontinental Cup. They beat Namibia by an innings in May 2006, but draws against Ireland in August and the United Arab Emirates in January 2007 meant that they failed to reach the final.[22] In December 2006, they travelled to Test nation Bangladesh for a two-match ODI series – their first outside the UK – but lost both matches heavily.[23]

In January 2007, after the Intercontinental Cup match against United Arab Emirates in Sharjah, they travelled to Kenya, first playing in a tri-series against Canada and Kenya in Mombasa, where they finished second.[24] This was followed by Division One of the World Cricket League in Nairobi, where Scotland finished as runners up.[25]

They then travelled to West Indies for their second World Cup. They again lost all their games and failed to progress beyond the first round.[26] Back in the UK, they competed in the Friends Provident Trophy, their only win coming against Lancashire.[27] They also drew an Intercontinental Cup match against United Arab Emirates.[28] An ODI against Pakistan in July was washed out.[29]

In July, Scotland took part in a quadrangular series in Ireland against the hosts, Holland and West Indies. However, the endeavour was not a success. They lost their matches against Ireland and West Indies, with the match against Holland being abandoned due to rain.

At the beginning of August, Scotland were on Intercontinental Cup duty as they beat Holland by an innings and 59 runs. They then drew with Ireland in a rain-affected match, only gaining 3 points after a poor 1st innings display. India were Scotland's next ODI opponents in mid-August, which was shown live on BBC Scotland from Titwood, Glasgow. The match was reduced slightly to 46 overs after a couple of brief showers, but India won by 7 wickets.

Having reached the final of the World Cricket League earlier in the year, Scotland qualified to play in the Twenty20 World Championship held in South Africa. They lost by 51 runs to Pakistan in their first game, and did not get a chance to play their other Group D opponents India, as the game was washed out without a ball being bowled.

In July 2008, Scotland played a tri-series against New Zealand and Ireland in Aberdeen, Scotland. Scotland beat Ireland but lost their match against New Zealand.

In early August, Scotland participated with five other Associate nations in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Belfast. Despite an initial loss to hosts Ireland, victory against Bermuda secured a semi final slot. Throwing off the disappointment of an unexpected loss to Holland in the semi-final a few hours earlier, Scotland bounced right back for a 9 wicket victory over Kenya (who had advanced ahead of Canada), to secure third place. However, with only two nations guaranteed to progress, qualification for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was only granted when Zimbabwe confirmed that they would not attend the tournament.

On 18 August, Scotland played their first ODI encounter against England. Hosting the Auld Enemy, at the Grange Cricket Club in Edinburgh. However the match was abandoned due to rain after less than 3 overs of England's reply to Scotland's 156/9.

In December 2008, Cricket Scotland, the governing body of Scottish cricket, took the historic act of giving three Scotland players central contracts. Bowlers Gordon Goudie and Dewald Nel and captain Ryan Watson became the first full-time professional cricketers based in Scotland. Nineteen other cricketers have been offered part-time professional deals.[30]

Scotland participated in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England in June 2009. They were drawn alongside Test nations New Zealand and South Africa in Group D, with both matches being played at The Oval in London.

The first match, against New Zealand, was shortened to 7 overs per side due to rain. Scotland batted first and made 89/4, with Kyle Coetzer top-scoring with 33. However, three no-balls and a dropped catch enabled New Zealand to win by seven wickets with an over to spare.[31]

In the second match, South Africa made 211/5, with AB de Villiers hitting 79 not out off only 34 balls. In response, Scotland were bowled out for 81, more than half of which was scored by Coetzer (42). The 130-run margin of defeat was the second-largest in terms of runs in a Twenty20 International.[32]

In 2010, Scotland took part in the inaugural ECB 40 tournament.

Scotland competed in the qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates, to compete for a place in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies. They competed for a place with Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Holland, United Arab Emirates and USA.[33] The tournament was disappointing for Scotland, going out in the group stage without winning a single match.

Scotland's Intercontinental Cup campaign was more successful as they reached the final in December – against Afghanistan – at the bespoke new cricket stadium in Dubai. Scheduled as a four-day first-class match of two innings each side, Afghanistan won the game in eight sessions. This was also the first cricket match of any kind that was live-streamed online – by two Scottish fans, with the agreement of the ICC.

During March and April 2009 Scotland attempted to defend the ICC Trophy they won in 2005. To secure qualification for the 2011 Cricket World Cup a top four place was targeted. They were also attempting to secure ODI status by finishing in the top six.

Scotland started the tournament badly by losing three of their five group games. With only the points earned against Namibia being taken through to the Super Eights, Scotland faced a difficult route to the World Cup.[34]

Scotland started the Super Eights well by beating Holland in their first match. Defeats against Kenya and Afghanistan followed. The result of which threatened Scotland's qualification for the World Cup as well as the possibility of losing their ODI status if they finished out of the top six.

Victory against United Arab Emirates in their last game, and an improved run-rate, thanks to the 122 run victory, ensured a top six place for the Scots, securing ODI status until the next round of World Cup qualifiers.

The Scottish team qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand, but was eliminated after six straight losses out of six matches.[35]

In August 2014, Scotland played a three match series against New Zealand A at Cambusdoon New Ground, Ayr. In the first match Grant Elliott and captain BJ Watling scored centuries and ensured that New Zealand A won by 199 runs. Scotland conceded nearly 150 runs in the last ten overs.

In January 2017 Scotland took part in the 2017 Desert T20 Challenge. They won all three of their group fixtures, before losing to Ireland in the semi-finals.

Scotland achieved their second victory against a full member of the ICC when it defeated a touring Zimbabwe side.

15 June 2017 Scorecard

Scotland  317/6 (50 overs)	v	Zimbabwe 272 (41.4 overs)
Kyle Coetzer 109 (101) Sean Williams 2/48 (10 overs)		Malcolm Waller 92 (62) Con de Lange 5/60 (8 overs)

Scotland won by 26 runs (D/L method) The Grange Club, Edinburgh Umpires: Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SL) and Ian Ramage (Sco)

• Scotland won the toss and elected to bat.
• Rain during Zimbabwe's innings set them a revised target of 299 runs in 43 overs.
• Con de Lange (Sco) took his first five-wicket haul in an ODI.
• This was the first ODI match between the two sides and Scotland's first ever win in an ODI against a Test playing nation.[36]

Scotland achieved their third victory against a full member of the ICC when it defeated a touring England side.

10 June 2018 11:00 Scorecard

Scotland  371/5 (50 overs)	v	England 365 (48.5 overs)
Calum MacLeod 140* (94) Adil Rashid 2/72 (10 overs)		Jonny Bairstow 105 (59) Mark Watt 3/55 (10)

Scotland won by 6 runs The Grange Club, Edinburgh Umpires: Marais Erasmus (SA) and Allan Haggo (Sco) Player of the match: Calum MacLeod (Sco)

• England won the toss and elected to field.
• Dylan Budge (Sco) made his ODI debut.
• Calum MacLeod scored the fastest century by a batsman for Scotland in ODIs and became the first batsman for Scotland to score a century in ODIs against England.[37]
• Scotland made their highest score in ODIs and the highest score by an Associate team against a Full Member team.[37]
• Jonny Bairstow became the first batsman for England to score centuries in three consecutive ODIs.[37]

‡ Only the matches between Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands in the 2006 tournament have official ODI status.

• Highest team total: 371/5 v. England, 10 June 2018 at Grange Cricket Club, Edinburgh[54]
• Highest individual score: 175, Calum MacLeod v. Canada, 27 January 2014 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch[55]
• Best individual bowling figures: 6/28, Josh Davey v. Afghanistan, 14 January 2015 at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi[56]

Highest individual innings in ODI[59] Player Score Opposition Venue Year Calum MacLeod 175  Canada Christchurch 2014 Calum MacLeod 157*  Afghanistan Bulawayo 2018 Kyle Coetzer 156  Bangladesh Nelson 2015 Calum MacLeod 154  Papua New Guinea Port Moresby 2017 Calum MacLeod 140*  England Edinburgh 2018

Best bowling figures in an innings in ODI[60] Player Score Opposition Venue Year Josh Davey 6/34  Afghanistan Abu Dhabi 2015 Josh Davey 5/9  Afghanistan Ayr 2010 John Blain 5/22  Netherlands Dublin 2008 Safyaan Sharif 5/33  Zimbabwe Bulawayo 2018 Alasdair Evans 5/43  Netherlands Rotterdam 2021

ODI record versus other nations[52]

Opponent	M	W	L	T	NR	First match	First win
v. Test nations
Afghanistan	13	4	8	0	1	19 April 2009	9 July 2010
Australia	5	0	5	0	0	16 May 1999
Bangladesh	4	0	4	0	0	24 May 1999
England	5	1	3	0	1	18 August 2008	10 June 2018
India	1	0	1	0	0	16 August 2007
Ireland	20	4	15	0	1	5 August 2006	30 January 2007
New Zealand	4	0	4	0	0	31 May 1999
Pakistan	3	0	3	0	0	20 May 1999
South Africa	1	0	1	0	0	20 March 2007
Sri Lanka	3	0	3	0	0	13 July 2011
West Indies	3	0	3	0	0	27 May 1999
Zimbabwe	3	1	1	1	0	15 June 2017	15 June 2017
v. Associate Members
Bermuda	1	0	1	0	0	5 February 2007
Canada	9	7	2	0	0	18 January 2007	18 January 2007
Hong Kong	5	2	2	0	1	26 January 2016	10 September 2016
Kenya	9	5	3	0	1	17 January 2007	2 February 2007
Namibia	2	2	0	0	0	10 July 2022	10 July 2022
Nepal	2	1	1	0	0	13 July 2022	17 July 2022
Netherlands	11	7	3	0	1	6 August 2006	6 August 2006
Oman	6	4	1	0	1	15 August 2019	18 August 2019
Papua New Guinea	10	9	1	0	0	6 October 2017	6 October 2017
United Arab Emirates	12	8	4	0	0	1 February 2014	1 February 2014
United States	6	3	3	0	0	9 December 2019	14 December 2019

Records complete to ODI #4449. Last updated 17 August 2022.

• Highest team total: 252/3 v. Netherlands, 16 September 2019 at Malahide Cricket Club Ground, Malahide[61]
• Highest individual score: 127*, George Munsey v. Netherlands, 16 September 2019 at Malahide Cricket Club Ground, Malahide[62]
• Best individual bowling figures: 5/24, Alasdair Evans v. Netherlands, 11 July 2015 at The Grange Club, Edinburgh[63]

T20I record versus other nations[53]

Opponent	M	W	L	T	NR	First match	First win
v. Test nations
Afghanistan	7	0	7	0	0	10 February 2010
Bangladesh	2	2	0	0	0	24 July 2012	24 July 2012
India	2	0	1	0	1	13 September 2007
Ireland	14	3	8	1	2	2 August 2008	18 June 2015
New Zealand	4	0	4	0	0	6 June 2009
Pakistan	4	0	4	0	0	12 September 2007
South Africa	1	0	1	0	0	7 June 2009
West Indies	1	1	0	0	0	17 October 2022	17 October 2022
Zimbabwe	5	1	4	0	0	10 March 2016	15 September 2021
v. Associate Members
Bermuda	2	2	0	0	0	3 August 2008	3 August 2008
Canada	1	1	0	0	0	23 March 2012	23 March 2012
Hong Kong	5	4	1	0	0	25 July 2015	25 July 2015
Kenya	8	5	3	0	0	4 August 2008	4 August 2008
Namibia	3	0	3	0	0	22 October 2019
Netherlands	13	7	6	0	0	4 August 2008	22 November 2013
Oman	4	4	0	0	0	19 January 2017	19 January 2017
Papua New Guinea	3	3	0	0	0	21 October 2019	21 October 2019
Singapore	1	0	1	0	0	18 October 2019
United Arab Emirates	3	2	1	0	0	9 July 2015	9 July 2015

Records complete to T20I #1838. Last updated 21 October 2022.