Scotland captain Richie Berrington is focused on making the most of his team’s late T20 World Cup entry. Other captains, including Nepal’s Rohit Paudel and Italy’s Wayne Madsen, also shared their perspectives ahead of the tournament.
Scotland to ‘make the most’ of late T20 World Cup entry
Scotland captain Richie Berrington acknowledged the unique circumstances surrounding his team’s late entry into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, but said the squad is focused on making the most of the opportunity.
Scotland were included in the T20 World Cup after Bangladesh were dropped from the tournament for refusing to travel to India for their scheduled fixtures, and the ICC replaced them in the expanded 20-team competition.
“Yes, from our point of view, it has been unique circumstances,” Berrington said during the Captain’s Day press conference. “There has been a quick turnaround for us coming into this tournament, and our preparations probably looked slightly different to some of the other teams. But we have been presented with a great opportunity, and it is one we want to make the most of,” he added. Berrington highlighted Scotland’s track record of competing at the top level in previous tournaments. “We have shown in previous tournaments that we can compete at this level. We have another great opportunity in front of us, and that is what we are looking forward to. Since we got out here, we have been out here just under a week.”
Nepal captain admires Rohit Sharma
While Nepal captain Rohit Paudel said he is a fan of former Indian captain Rohit Sharma, but he acknowledged that living up to his expectations would be a difficult task. “I’m a fan of Rohit Sharma, but living up to his expectations would be a tough task for me,” Paudel said. “But as a team, I think we would give our 100% and make our country’s people proud and happy.”
Italy eyes historic opportunity to grow cricket
During the press conference, captain Wayne Madsen of Italy, who has qualified for the first time, said playing in the T20 World Cup is a historic opportunity for the team to promote cricket in a country better known for football. “Yeah, obviously football is the main sport in Italy, and the team hasn’t qualified yet, but they do still have a chance. But the opportunity for us to play in a World Cup and put cricket on the map in Italy, it hasn’t been covered live in the country before. So for us to be able to get cricket on TV is hugely important to grow the game in the country,” Italy captain said.
Madsen on Joe Burns’s absence
Asked about Joe Burns’s absence, Madsen declined to comment, citing respect for the player and the federation, which had already addressed the matter. “Out of respect for both Joe and the people who have made the decision, the comment has been made by the federation already. So I am not going to make further comments on his situation,” Madsen said.
Former Australia cricketer Burns was replaced as Italy’s captain and has been left out of Italy’s plans for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, according to ESPNcricinfo on December 17.
Burns, who has played 23 Test matches for Australia, led the Italy men’s cricket team and was a key member of its qualifying campaigns over the last 18 months, culminating in July last year. Burns captained Italy to memorable wins over Guernsey and Scotland at The Hague in Europe’s regional qualifier, which helped his side earn a historic T20 World Cup spot. (ANI)
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