ICC rule affects Scotland's T20 World Cup 2026 squad as star bowler misses out

Scotland might still not have come to terms with the pleasant surprise of World Cup participation. On Tuesday (January 27), the Scots announced their squad for T20 World Cup 2026 and while they can make changes till January 31, the list should remain unchanged barring last minute injuries. 

The squad has 15 players as is the norm and also two travelling reserves. Scotland have arguably picked their best possible squad for the World Cup but are missing a key fast bowler in Scott Currie. Arguably one of the finest T20 bowlers in England's domestic white-ball setup, Scott hasn't made the cut due to an ICC rule while his brother Bradley makes the cut.

Having played a major chunk of his domestic cricket in England across formats, Scott was eligible to play for England and was also picked in the national T20 squad during their tour of Ireland in 2025. However, the 24-year-old didn't get to play a single game in the series which was affected largely by rain. Regardless, this series is the reason why Scott couldn't make the Scotland World Cup squad.

While he was not part of the playing XI in the series, Scott was listed as substitute fielder in the list submitted to the match referees before every game. Which means that Scott's name had been documented in an England shirt, despite not having played an international game for that country. 

As this incident happened less than a year from T20 World Cup 2026, Scott lost his eligibility for selection according to the ICC rules which state that the player shouldn't have been listed as a player in the playing XI or as official substitute of a different team for a period of three years till the date of the next match. 

Ironically, Scott debuted for Scotland in 2024 and has also played three ODIs for his country of birth. The pacer has 93 T20 wickets from 68 games and is known for having a rich repertorie of deliveries. He is also a death bowling specialist.