Former New Zealand cricketer Tom Bruce will play for Scotland and feature in Cricket World Cup League 2 matches for his new team starting from August 27. He played 17 T20Is for New Zealand and last played international cricket in 2020.

New Delhi:

Former New Zealand cricketer Tom Bruce has switched his loyalties to Scotland and is set to join the list of cricketers to play for two countries in international cricket. Bruce played 17 T20Is for New Zealand and scored 279 runs at an average of 18.6 and a strike rate of 122.36 with two fifties to his name. He last played international cricket back in February 2020 against India and will make a comeback to the top-flight cricket after five years now.

He is set to turn up for Scotland in the Cricket World Cup League 2 matches in the Canada leg starting from August 27. Notably, he will also make his ODI debut at the same time, having not played a single One-Day game for New Zealand.

How did Bruce qualify to play for Scotland?

Interestingly, Bruce had played for the Scotland Development side in 2016 before moving to New Zealand. He has qualified to play for Scotland now because of his father, who was born in Edinburgh. Reacting to the development, Bruce is looking forward to playing for Scotland and showcase his skills on the world stage. He also recalled being part of the Scotland cricket set up briefly in 2016 and is eager to help the team qualify for the World Cup 2027.

“There’s a long Scottish history within my family and I know they will be incredibly proud that I am representing Scotland on the world stage. I’ve been fortunate enough to play for New Zealand five years ago, and I want to continue to showcase my skills on the world stage, and help the Scotland team achieve success, as I know the group is capable of achieving success and continuing to grow as a team.

“I was involved briefly in the set-up back in 2016, and it was an awesome experience. I played alongside and against a lot of the current group of Scotland players, and it’s been great following their development through the years and I’m looking forward to linking up with them again. For me, I want to help the team in any way shape or form to play some consistent quality cricket and ultimately help get us to a World Cup,” Bruce said in a statement released by Cricket Scotland.