New Zealand star switches to Scotland ahead of World Cup League 2 matches

Tom Bruce, the top-order New Zealand batter, has shifted his base to Scotland and will feature in the Cricket World Cup League 2 matches in the Canada leg, starting from August 27, for the new side. Having represented the development side of the country in 2016, he got the qualification to play due to his Edinburgh-born father.

Bruce later played domestic cricket for Central Districts in New Zealand since 2014 and represented the national side in 17 T20Is between 2017 and 2020, as his most recent appearance came at the Global Super League in Guyana during the T20 competition. Overall, the right-handed batter has clubbed 279 T20I runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of 122.36.

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“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.” The statement of Cricket Scotland, as Bruce quoted, says.  

New Zealand batter Tom Bruce switches to Scotland for World Cup League 2 matches

Bruce made a name for himself when he collected 223 runs at a strike rate of above 140 for CD during the 2015-16 Super Smash. Another good season in the following Super Smash saw him earn a contract in the Kiwi squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh. However, he couldn’t achieve the same success in international cricket as he did in the domestic games.

“I was involved briefly in the setup 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.” Bruce shed light.

Doug Wayson, the men’s head coach of the Scotland side, was excited to get Bruce into the team. “I'm very excited about Tom joining the group; not only is he a world-class cricketer, but he brings a whole range of experience; he's played a lot of 50-over and T20 cricket.”