OTD| One of Scotland’s finest middle-order batters Neil McCallum was born in 1977

Former Scottish international Neil McCallum is celebrating his 46th birthday today. Between 2006 and 2011, McCallum was one of the key members of the Scottish batting order. He played a crucial role in the infant phase of the evolution of Scottish cricket. 

The Beginning

Neil McCallum made his first-class debut against Namibia in 2006. In the same year, he made his debut in international cricket. Against Pakistan, he played his first-ever One-Day international, at Edinburgh. He would go on to cement his place in the ODI team for a considerable period. 

McCallum was picked in the squad for the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. He made his debut in the shortest format against the familiar opposition, Pakistan. In the 3rd match of the Group stage, McCallum got the opportunity to make his debut on the biggest stage of world cricket but unfortunately, he could not make a mark on his debut as he got out for a duck. 

He remained an important player for the t20 squad and played in the 2009 T20 World Cup as well.

The Overview

Neil McCallum played in all three formats at different levels. He played 43 One-Day internationals for Scotland. In ODI cricket McCallum scored 1002 runs at an average of 27.83. He has 2 centuries and 4 half-centuries to his name with his highest score being 121*. 

McCallum could not find much success in the shortest format. He got to play only 11 T20Is for Scotland where he managed to score just 76 runs. 

Apart from international cricket he also had a vast experience as an associate cricketer. McCallum played 14 first-class matches. He had a decent record in a brief first-class career as he scored runs at an average of 44.62. In his overall List A career, he had 1890 runs in 90 List A matches that he participated in.

Neil McCallum played his last international match for Scotland in 2011, against the Netherlands 

Also read: One of Australia’s most successful Test openers Justin Langer was born in 1970