Cricket

Scotland, seeking redemption after a crushing defeat in the first T20I, opted to bowl first after winning a delayed toss at The Grange. Foggy conditions forced the toss to be postponed by 30 minutes.In response to their 62-run loss on Wednesday, Scotland made five significant changes to their lineup. Ollie Hairs, Matt Cross, Jack Jarvis, Charlie Cassell, and Jasper Davidson were all omitted.Michael Jones, Charlie Tear, Chris Sole, Brad Currie, and Chris Greaves were brought in to replace them. Jones and Currie were unavailable for the first T20I due to their commitments in the T20 Blast quarter-finals.Australia, on the other hand, made only one change, replacing fast bowler Riley Meredith with seam-bowling allrounder Aaron Hardie.Scotland's batting lineup features George Munsey, Michael Jones, Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington, Charlie Tear, Michael Leask, Mark Watt, Chris Greaves, Chris Sole, Brad Currie, and Brad Wheal.Australia's batting order consists of Jake Fraser-McGurk, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, and Adam Zampa.Scotland will be eager to bounce back from their disappointing performance in the first match, while Australia will aim to continue their winning streak. The match promises to be an exciting contest between two evenly matched teams.

Scotland and Australia are set to face off in their first bilateral men's T20I series in Edinburgh this September. The three-match series will mark Australia's first tour of Scotland in 11 years and will serve as a warm-up for their five-match ODI series against England.The games will be played at The Grange on September 4, 5, and 7, ahead of the first ODI against England at Trent Bridge on September 19. The announcement comes as the two sides prepare to meet in a T20 World Cup Group B fixture in St Lucia, which will determine whether England or Scotland join Australia in the Super Eight stage.Scotland and Australia have a limited history in bilateral matches, having played only five ODIs against each other over the years. Australia has emerged victorious on each occasion, including a thumping 200-run win in their last meeting in 2013.Despite their past record, Scotland is eager to make a statement on home soil. The series will provide a valuable opportunity for the team to showcase their skills and gain experience against a top-ranked opponent.For Cricket Scotland, the tour is also a chance to highlight Edinburgh as a cricket destination and to move forward from recent controversies surrounding institutional racism and sexism."What a way to end the year to have Australia coming to Scotland, playing in three T20 internationals at the Grange, when we have been through such incredibly difficult times," said Cricket Scotland CEO Trudy Lindblade. "It will be a celebration of cricket in Scotland and we hope that everybody gets behind us."Lindblade hopes the tour will lead to more visits from Full-Member countries in the future. "We need to play high-quality cricket more often," she said. "This will demonstrate, not just our on-the-field performance, but also the people in Scotland get to see the best possible cricket."