Australia set to tour Scotland for first time in 11 years for T20I series

Edinburgh [Scotland], June 14 (ANI): Cricket Scotland and Cricket Australia confirmed on Friday that the Baggy Greens will tour Scotland to play their first bilateral T20I series.

Before Australia tours England later in the month, they will play three T20Is against Scotland at The Grange, Edinburgh, on September 4, 6, and 7.

Australia last toured Scotland in 2013 to play an ODI, where they prevailed over the hosts with a thumping 200-run victory.

The announcement was made before the two sides square off against each other in the Group B clash at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Before this series, Australia were originally scheduled to play a T20I and three ODIs against Ireland in August and September. But Ireland withdrew due to financial constraints in hosting the series.

Trudy Lindblade, Cricket Scotland's Chief Executive, said in a statement by Cricket Scotland, "We are delighted to announce these fixtures, which will be a great way to finish off what has been a momentous summer for Scottish cricket. Our women's team qualified for their first ever ICC Women's T20 World Cup later this year, while our men's team have done the nation proud during their current ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign."

"A huge amount of work is being done to improve Scottish cricket across all levels and I thank everyone for their ongoing support as together we strive to make Scottish cricket better every day. We are proud of the work that our volunteers, coaches, administrators, match officials and players put in each week to grow the game. It is a wonderful opportunity for many of them to be involved in a match where our nation's best do battle against world-class opponents on home soil," she added.

Till now, Scotland and Australia have played just five international series. All of their matches have been ODIs.

Scotland captain Richie Berrington gave his take on the prospect of facing Australia in a T20I series and said, "It's fantastic to have this home series to look forward to later in the summer, which should be a treat for all our supporters. I was fortunate enough to play in the Scotland side when Australia last visited in 2013, and although the result didn't go our way that day, it was a tremendous occasion to be part of." (ANI)