As the highest-ranked T20I side not to originally qualify for the tournament, Scotland were handed a late call-up after Bangladesh were removed following a refusal to play their matches in India over safety concerns.
Jersey beat Scotland on their way to finishing higher than them in last summer’s Europe Final qualifier in the Netherlands and only missed out on reaching the tournament via net run-rate to Italy, who progressed along with the Dutch.
‘It would have been incredible to be given that golden ticket to the World Cup,’ said captain Chuggy Perchard in a Jersey Cricket statement.
‘Whether or not we “deserved” it is up for debate, but having beaten Scotland in the qualifiers and finished above them, it does feel quite cruel to miss out this time.’
However, the skipper added he understood the reasoning behind the ICC’s decision.
‘This was unprecedented and not really legislated for.
‘The ICC had to make an on-the-spot decision with not much time, and picking the highest-ranked team was the safest option. So, I’m not surprised by how it’s panned out – even if we’d hoped it might be us.’
Scotland will face the Italians as well as the West Indies, England and Nepal in Group C.
‘This is not how we wanted to go to the World Cup,’ said Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade.
‘There is a qualification process and nobody wants to attend a World Cup [in the way] that we have done.
‘We acknowledge the unique circumstances of our participation and we do feel for the Bangladesh players.’
Jersey and Guernsey will participate in sub-regional Qualifier A for the 2028 T20 World Cup in Cyprus from 16-23 May along with Austria, Craotia, France, Malta, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland as well as the hosts.
‘Anything but a win would be a big issue for us,’ Perchard said.
‘We want to prove that our name is being mentioned for these competitions for a reason and that’s a big start for us.’
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