All you need to know guide: Scotland v Australia T20Is | cricket.com.au

Series facts

Schedule:

September 4: First T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, 11pm AEST

 

September 6: Second T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, 11pm AEST

 

September 7: Third T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, 11pm AEST

How to watch

Fans in Australia will be able to watch all three matches of the series live on Fox Cricket and Kayo. Cricket Scotland has confirmed the series can be viewed in the UK and Ireland (via the BBC, in India via Fancode, in Pakistan via Tapmad and on ICC TV’s digital platforms in other territories.

How to follow

Cricket.com.au will have all the latest news from our team on the ground in Edinburgh as well as video highlights, interviews, live scores and wicket replays (Australia only) via our match centre.  

Subscribe to the Unplayable Podcast (the latest episode features paceman Nathan Ellis) for even more access.

Squads

Australia’s big three quicks Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will miss the three matches against Scotland, opening the door for the likes of Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott and Riley Meredith to push their white-ball cases. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Cooper Connolly both look set to make their T20I debuts for the Mitch Marsh-captained side. Familiar faces like Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa will also feature.

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Riley Meredith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Veteran Richie Berrington faced Australia in their two previous visits to Scotland (for ODIs in 2009 and 2013) and now captains a vastly-improved side. Perth-raised fast bowler Charlie Cassell has been named in the squad after his record-breaking debut against Oman, joining experienced heads like Michael Leask and George Munsey, among a number of Scots who have benefits from featuring in overseas T20 leagues.

Scotland squad: Richie Berrington (c), Charlie Cassell, Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Jasper Davidson, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal

Head to head

All Scotland-Australia men’s ODIs and T20Is:

June 2024 (T20 World Cup): Australia defeted Scotland by five wickets in St Lucia

March 2015 (ODI World Cup): Australia defeated Scotland by seven wickets in Hobart

September 2013 (one-off ODI): Australia defeated Scotland by 200 runs at The Grange, Edinburgh

August 2009 (one-off ODI): Australia defeated Scotland by 189 runs at The Grange, Edinburgh

March 2007 (ODI World Cup): Australia defeated Scotland by 203 runs in St Kitts

May 1999 (ODI World Cup): Australia defeated Scotland by six wickets runs at New Road, Worcester

Form guide

Past 10 T20Is, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, N: no result, T: tie

Australia: LLWWWWWWWW

The Aussies were on an eight-game win streak that stretched back to a three-game series in New Zealand in February and through their first five games of the T20 World Cup (including one against Scotland) in the Caribbean in June before defeats to Afghanistan and India ended their hopes of progressing further in that tournament.

Scotland: LWWNLWLWWL

The Scots’ most recent loss (to Australia) ended their T20 World Cup campaign after wins over Namibia and Oman, as well as a promising start to a washed-out clash with England. Their form leading into that tournament was patchy in games against Ireland, the Netherlands and the UAE.

Venue stats

Scotland record: 14 matches, six wins and eight losses

Australia record: yet to play

Average first-innings score: 170

How pace bowlers have fared: 177 wickets at 23, economy of 8.1, strike-rate of 17

How spin bowlers have fared: 111 wickets at 27.3, economy of 7.9, strike-rate of 20.8

Most runs: Richie Berrington (389)

Most wickets: Michael Leask (14)

Players to watch

Australia

With David Warner bowing out of international cricket after the World Cup earlier this year, Jake Fraser-McGurk looks set to get first crack at making the opener spot his own. The prospect of the explosive youngster going hell for leather with Travis Head against the new ball will be edge-of-your-seat stuff. Fraser-McGurk is already well-known around the world thanks to his extraordinary IPL campaign earlier this year, though he is still yet to play a T20I coming into this series.

Scotland

Mark Watt has pushed the boundaries in T20 cricket by pioneering the use of a delivery bowled from just in front of where the umpire stands. It can mess with a batter’s ability to read the trajectory of the ball and has proved a canny change-up for the left-arm spinner. Watt underlined his credentials when he dismissed both Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis in the Scotland-Australia World Cup match in St Lucia, and is a passionate advocate for Scottish cricket. “I feel like at every major competition, we do really well and people are like, ‘Wow, Scotland are actually pretty decent, they’re doing really well’,” he told the Wisden Cricket podcast recently. “And then you don’t see us again for the next two years.”

Rapid stats

• This will be just the second men’s T20I between Scotland and Australia after June’s T20 World Cup clash.
• Scotland have won their last four men’s T20Is at The Grange, batting first in each of those four wins. They had won only two of all their 10 matches at the venue in the format prior to that span.
• Australia have scored 65 per cent of their runs from boundaries in men’s T20Is in 2024, the best rate of any Test-playing country this year. Indeed, they are one of only two teams to average fewer than five balls per boundary so far this year (Australia – once every 4.6 balls faced, West Indies – once every 4.8 balls faced).
• Scotland had a collective batting average of 44.6 at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, the best of any team in the tournament. Their batting strike rate (155.9) was the best of any team too.
• Travis Head (911 runs) is 89 runs away from becoming the ninth player to score 1,000 runs for Australia in men’s T20Is. If he achieves the milestone in his upcoming 33rd innings, he’d be the second fastest player to reach it for Australia in the history of the format after Aaron Finch (29 innings).
• Michael Leask (41 wickets) is one away from surpassing Alasdair Evans (41) for the outright third most scalps for Scotland in men’s T20Is. He’s taken seven wickets at a strike rate of 9.4 across his last four T20I bowling innings in Scotland.
• Tim David (Australia) has a batting strike rate of 183.7 in men’s T20Is in 2024, the best of any player from a Test playing country this year (min. 100 balls faced).
• Richie Berrington had a batting dot ball rate of 26 per cent from 73 balls faced at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, the second best (minimum 25 balls faced) of any player in the tournament after Harry Brook – 23 per cent from 92 balls faced.

… and here are some photos of Tom Moody throwing haggis in 1989

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Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood (England games only), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Riley Meredith (Scotland games only), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

September 4: First T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, 11pm AEST

September 6: Second T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, 11pm AEST

September 7: Third T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, 11pm AEST

September 11: First T20 v England, Rose Bowl, Southampton, 3.30am Sept 12 AEST

September 13: Second T20 v England, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 3.30am Sept 14 AEST

September 15: Third T20 v England, Old Trafford Manchester, 11.30pm AEST

Australia ODI squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

September 19: First ODI v England, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 10pm AEST

September 21: Second ODI v England, Headingley, Leeds, 10pm AEST

September 24: Third ODI v England, Riverside, Chester-le-Street, 10pm AEST

September 27: Fourth ODI v England, Lord’s, London, 10pm AEST

September 29: Fifth ODI v England, County Ground, Bristol, 8pm AEST