At one time, the 34-year-old batsman represented New Zealand in T20 cricket. Later this month, he could be seen wearing Scotland’s colors in ODIs.
Tom Bruce now has the chance to revive his international career, which has been on hold for five and a half years. Once a top-order batsman for New Zealand’s T20 side, Bruce has earned a call-up to Scotland’s ODI squad.
On Tuesday, Cricket Scotland named the 15-man squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 series in Canada later this month, where Scotland will face the hosts and Namibia.
Bruce qualifies to play for Scotland through his father, who was born in Edinburgh. In 2016, before his New Zealand career began, Bruce played for the Scotland Development team.
He was first called up to New Zealand’s T20 side in December 2016 and made his international debut the following month against Bangladesh. In just his second match, batting at number five, he scored an unbeaten 59 off 39 balls to help secure victory.
However, in the next 15 innings, he managed just one more fifty. After scoring back-to-back ducks in the 2020 home series against India—where New Zealand suffered a 5-0 whitewash—he never played for the national side again.
In total, Bruce scored 279 runs in 17 T20Is for New Zealand at an average of 18.60 and a strike rate of 122.36.
Now, in outstanding form, Bruce has been rewarded with a place in Scotland’s squad. He was a key figure for Central Districts across all formats in New Zealand’s 2024–25 domestic season, captaining the team to the Super Smash T20 title. He finished as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer with 339 runs at an average of 56.50 and a strike rate of 157.67.
In the Ford Trophy one-day competition, Bruce helped Central Districts reach the knockout stage, scoring 431 runs in 10 innings at an average of 43.40 and a strike rate of 108.02, making him the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament.
He also produced a remarkable 345-run knock against Auckland in the Plunket Shield, the third-highest individual score in first-class cricket on New Zealand soil.
Most recently, last month, Bruce represented Central Districts in the Global Super League in the Caribbean. Delighted with his Scotland call-up, he said:
“My family has a long Scottish history, and I know they will be very proud that I’m representing Scotland on the world stage. Five years ago, I was fortunate enough to represent New Zealand. I want to show my ability on the world stage and help Scotland achieve success, because I know this team has the ability to win and continue improving as a unit.”
