NEW DELHI: Associate Nations in international cricket, who largely remain out of the spotlight, get a valuable opportunity to showcase their prowess at World Cups. With the ICC T20 World Cup around the corner, beginning on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, nine Associate Nations - including Scotland, a last-minute replacement for Bangladesh - will compete in the tournament.

Here is a closer look at their paths to qualification and some potential names to watch, starting with the debutants.

Italy

While Italy's football teams have struggled to return to the World Cup stage, the nation's cricketers are set to make history with their maiden appearance at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Italy topped their European sub-regional qualifying group before defeating Romania at home, then edged past the Netherlands in a tense Europe Regional Qualifier to secure their spot, finishing ahead of Jersey. Led by Wayne Madsen and featuring former South Africa international JJ Smuts, Italy have been drawn into Group C alongside England, Nepal, Scotland and the West Indies.

Canada

Canada, who have previously appeared in three ICC Men's Cricket World Cups, returned to the global stage at the T20 World Cup in 2024 and made an immediate impact with a memorable win over Ireland. They are back again after a flawless qualifying campaign, winning all six matches at the Americas Regional Qualifier. Drawn into Group D alongside Afghanistan, New Zealand, South Africa and the UAE, Canada will lean on all-rounder Shivam Sharma, the leading wicket-taker in qualifying, and 22-year-old captain Dilpreet Bajwa as key players to watch. Speaking prior to the tournament, head coach Ingleton Liburd said: "The players displayed exceptional commitment and focus throughout the Qualifier. We're now fully focused on preparing the team to compete at the highest level."

Namibia

Namibia will feature at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup for the fourth time in a row after qualifying through Africa alongside Zimbabwe. An unbeaten run in the group stage set the tone, before JJ Smit delivered a match-winning all-round display in the semi-final against Tanzania to seal qualification. Despite losing the final to Zimbabwe, Namibia's place was secure. Led again by captain Gerhard Erasmus, the side retains strong continuity, with nine players returning from the previous edition and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton among the key figures after an impressive qualifying campaign.

Nepal

Nepal came through the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia–EAP Regional Qualifier undefeated, beating Japan and Kuwait in the group stage before topping the table in the Super Six. Tight finishes have become routine for Nepal, and they were again involved in some thrillers at the qualifying event, beating the UAE by one run and Qatar by five runs in two close contests.
Rohit Paudel, 23, will captain the squad in India and Sri Lanka, supported by Dipendra Singh Airee as vice-captain. It is Nepal's third appearance at an ICC Men's T20 World Cup, and they will be hoping this is the year they make it out of the group stage for the first time.

Netherlands

The Netherlands joined Italy in progressing from the European Regional Qualifier, topping the group with three wins from four to book their seventh appearance at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. They have twice advanced beyond the group stages of the competition and are led for a third consecutive ICC Men's T20 World Cup by captain Scott Edwards as they prepare to line-up in Group A against co-hosts India, Pakistan and USA. "Our squad has depth and variety in options which we feel will be effective against the opposition and in these conditions," said head coach Ryan Cook. "With experience in the past few World Cups, having played against all of the teams in our group recently and having exposure to the conditions in Sri Lanka and India, we're confident in our preparations over the past few months."

Oman

Oman finished second behind Nepal in the Super Six stage of the aforementioned Asia-EAP Regional Qualifier to seal a place at their fourth ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Nadeem Khan and Jiten Ramanandi took 11 wickets apiece at the Qualifier, while Oman's all-time leading T20I run-scorer, Jatinder Singh, will captain the squad having missed out on the 2024 edition. Following qualification, the skipper said: "It's a proud moment, the boys are really looking forward to it. To play at such a high-profile tournament, you need experience, so it's a blessing in disguise we had the Qualifier to provide that." Oman will contest Group B with co-hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland and Zimbabwe.

Scotland

Scotland replaced Bangladesh in the tournament as the highest-ranked team in the world who hadn't already qualified for the tournament. They sit 14th in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings, are ranked higher than seven teams already in the tournament and will be making their seventh appearance at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Steve Snell, Cricket Scotland Head of Performance, says the team are ready and raring to go despite their late call-up. He said: "The coaching staff, selectors and I are all really excited about the squad that has been picked. We feel it's well-balanced and caters for a lot of different scenarios and challenges that the team will face in India."

UAE

The UAE are set for their third appearance at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup after finishing third behind Nepal and Oman at the conclusion of the Super Six stage of the Asia-EAP Regional Qualifier. Captain Muhammad Waseem's side narrowly missed out on the 2024 competition but made up for it this time around, becoming the 20th and final nation to seal their spot back in October last year. They did so thanks to an eight-wicket victory over Japan in their last match of that Qualifier, which earned them a spot in the competition. Alishan Sharafu finished as the Qualifier's leading run scorer, with 283 at an average of 56.60 and an impressive strike-rate of 143.65.

USA

USA did not need to come through qualification, with their spot secured by virtue of their historic performances on home turf at the 2024 event. There, they not only secured a famous win over Pakistan but also made it out of the Group Stage and into the Super 8s. Defeats to South Africa, West Indies and England may have followed but the USA's performances had already captured the imagination of their home support by then. Aiming to repeat that performance again, head coach Pubudu Dassanayake said: "The World Cup squad is strong, balanced, and ready to dominate in every department. We're fully confident in our team's potential."

(Courtesy: ICC)