Ignored from T20 World Cup squad, Hamza Tahir accuses Cricket Scotland of racism, says ‘I’ve been held back and not allowed to go’- thesportstak

Cricket Scotland is in hot waters again as former player Hamza Tahir is set to take a legal action against the board. Tahir announced his retirement and accused Cricket Scotland of racism against South Asian players. He said that for a South Asian player to get chances is Scotland set-up, “you have to perform twice as well”.
 

The 28-year-old left-arm spinner’s last T20I appearance was in March against UAE. In the same month, he was dropped from Cricket Scotland’s list of centrally contracted players. A few months later, he was not picked in Scotland’s squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. 
 

“I’ve given so much to the sport and I’ve given so much to Cricket Scotland,’ said Tahir in his statement. “Looking back, it has just been a waste of time. I’ve put in hard yards, I’ve put in so much effort and it has not been rewarded fairly. It’s just a very toxic environment, and not one that I want to be a part of.”
 

Tahir gets emotional about his journey

Tahir recalled when he was informed by Cricket Scotland that his contract will not be renewed. He feels he wasted his time playing six years for Scotland. 
 

“It was the 25th of March, five days before the end of my contract, and I got a call from someone at Cricket Scotland, telling me I wouldn’t be getting it renewed,” he said.
 

“I was obviously hoping to still play for Scotland, because that’s all I know really, is to play cricket. Receiving that call was tough. I feel like I haven’t achieved anything. I’ve had 49 caps in those six years.
 

“Looking back, it was a waste of time. In those six years, I could have done something completely different. I know you should be thankful for the life that you have, but being away from family, missing out on events, missing out on funerals, not being there when people have passed away, has been tough.”

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Cricket Scotland stands by its decision

Cricket Scotland in its statement thanked Tahir for his services to the national team and expressed disappointment over his decision to retire.
 

“Hamza Tahir has been a tremendous servant to the Scotland men’s national team, and while the news of his international retirement is disappointing, we thank him for his service,” the board said in a statement released on June 25.

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“Hamza has outlined some of the performance-based reasons for his contract not being renewed, and Cricket Scotland’s Performance department remains satisfied with its decision.

“Cricket Scotland has a grievance procedure in place which provides means for issues of concern to be raised. We are currently carrying out an independent investigation into the matters raised and will respond accordingly to Hamza and his advisors.”
 

Tahir’s numbers

Tahir made his T20I debut in 2018. He has played 17 T20Is and bagged 23 wickets. In T20 World Cup 2021, he had three wickets from two games including that of Pakistan opener Mohamamd Rizwan. In the ODI format, the 28-year-old has 40 wickets from 31 games at an average of 25.82 and an impressive economy rate of 4.26 runs per over.
 

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