How one decision by Zainullah Ihsan’s brother made him an international cricketer

Fast bowler Zainullah Ihsan’s rise to Scotland’s T20 World Cup squad has grabbed attention all over the world. The 19-year-old fast bowler, who was born in Afghanistan, moved to the United Kingdom as a young refugee and found his place in competitive cricket through club and youth structures in Scotland.

In a video shared by Cricket Scotland, Ihsan has opened up about his journey, from humble beginnings in Afghanistan to now, representing Scotland at the world stage. Ihsan vividly expressed his journey, which was never straightforward, marked by early struggles but with one goal: to play international cricket.

He spoke candidly about his passion for cricket and how he started playing cricket in early days. 

“Hi, my name is Zainullah Ihsan. I'm from Scotland. I started playing cricket when I was young. I can't remember exactly when I started that one. Maybe four or three years when I was in Afghanistan. I was once playing tape ball cricket. When I came to Glasgow, I went to play tape ball cricket with the Afghani people, and they used to play in a park,” he said via Cricket Scotland. 

He further shared how one simple observation from his brother shaped and changed his cricketing career, and his shift from tapeball to leather ball cricket. 

“Then my older brother saw me and said, you're playing really good cricket,  you're going to join a club. And then after my brother and I, we went to the GHK club and we joined this club. And after that, I started playing hardball (leather) cricket,” said the Afghan-born. 

“I played for Scotland U-17. I went for the U-17 trials. I was selected for U-17. I performed well in the U-17. And then I was selected for U-19. I played for the U-19 in some matches. And that's it,” he concluded. 

Watch the clip here- 

His efforts paid off spectacularly when he earned his first senior call-up to Scotland’s 15-man squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Cricket Scotland made a surprise entry into the marquee event, replacing Bangladesh after the BCB refused to play their matches in India.