Scotland call up Thaker and Tekale for men's Under-19 World Cup

Scotland have picked two new faces in Shlok Thaker and Shreyas Tekale for the men's Under-19 World Cup next month. Scotland's squad of 15 will be led by Thomas Knight.

"It's exciting to welcome Shlok and Shreyas into the squad, and we're really happy to see the work they've put in to get to this stage," head coach Keegan Russell said.

"Shlok was with us as part of the wider training squad, and unfortunately missed out on a place at the [ICC Europe] Qualifier. He's gone away and taken on board the feedback, put a huge amount into his training, and come back fitter and stronger, and is now bowling the best that we've seen him. It's really pleasing to see that approach he's taken, responding to what could be seen as a setback, and he's come back stronger for it.

"Shreyas had a great tour in Ireland with the U-17 squad at the Celtic Cup, and proved a real handful on the wickets over there. He's had a tough journey in terms of the teams he's had to graft to get into, and as someone who wasn't in our wider squad at the start of the year, he's come on a great deal and turned heads with some of his performances, so he deserves his selection."

Thaker and Tekale had missed the ICC Europe Qualifier in August, which Scotland won in Dundee.

The squad for the Under-19 World Cup will fly to South Africa on December 30 for a training camp in Potchefstroom, before heading to Zimbabwe for warm-up games against India in Bulawayo and Bangladesh in Harare. Scotland are in Group C, along with England, Pakistan and Zimbabwe in the 16-team tournament.

Scotland's campaign begins on January 15, the opening day, against hosts Zimbabwe in Harare, followed by matches against Pakistan and England, also in Harare. In 2024, Scotland had lost all three of their group matches, before beating Namibia in the 16th place playoff.

"It's an exciting time for everyone, but it's been challenging as well," Keegan said. "It's important to remember that we are looking after a group of teenage boys who are training like professionals ahead of this World Cup, so it's been brilliant to see their excitement, and it's been a long time coming for them.

"We see this tournament as a chance to go out and turn a few heads, and hopefully topple some bigger teams as well, but it's also a chance to learn and develop against some of the best players in the world on the international stage."

Thomas Knight (capt), Finlay Carter, Max Chaplin, George Cutler, Rory Grant, Finlay Jones, Ollie Jones, Ali Khan, Olly Pillinger, Ethan Ramsay, Theo Robinson, Manu Saraswat, Shlok Thaker, Shreyas Tekale, Jake Woodhouse