Tom Bruce makes an international switch to Scotland from New Zealand

Edinburgh, Aug 12 (IANS) Tom Bruce has switched allegiance from New Zealand to Scotland and will make his debut for his new side later this month during the Canada leg of the Cricket World Cup League 2, starting August 27.

Eligible to represent Scotland through his Edinburgh-born father, Bruce previously turned out for a Scotland Development side in 2016 before moving to New Zealand. The top-order batter has played domestic cricket for Central Districts since 2014 and featured in 17 T20Is for New Zealand between 2017 and 2020. Most recently, he represented Central Districts in the Global Super League in Providence, Guyana.

"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," Bruce said in a Cricket Scotland statement.

"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.

"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," he added.

Bruce first came into the spotlight during the 2015-16 Super Smash, scoring 223 runs at a strike rate of 140.25 for Central Districts. Renowned for his innovative batting, he backed it up with another strong campaign the following season, which earned him a call-up to New Zealand’s T20I squad for a series against Bangladesh. However, sustained success at the international level proved elusive, as he managed 279 runs in 17 T20I innings at a strike rate of 122.36, with two half-centuries to his name.

"I'm very excited about Tom joining the group, not only is he a world-class cricketer, he brings a whole range of experience, he's played a lot of 50-over and T20 cricket," Scotland head coach Doug Watson said. "He's going to add massive value both on the field and off the field in the years ahead, and I'm looking forward to getting him amongst the group, and I'm sure he'll fit in perfectly well."

Scotland will face Canada and Namibia across four matches in Ontario between August 29 and September 6, with fixtures being played at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club in King City near Toronto.

--IANS

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