THE heads of the Scottish game say their biggest challenge is securing a meaningful fixture list for the national side.
Preston Mommsen’s team face a dearth of big games after Associate rivals Ireland and Afghanistan were handed a place on the ICC’s official ODI table earlier this year.
The knock-on effect means the Irish will get two matches each against the touring Pakistani and Sri Lankan sides next summer.
Scotland may have to settle for games against Pakistan’s second string and Afghanistan.
Andy Tennant, Scotland’s director of cricket, admitted: “Our fixture list is looking pretty thin at the moment. Ireland and Afghanistan have been given preferential status and it’s going to be a real battle for us. We have a team with an average ago of only 24 who are still improving and we must work to ensure they are set the challenges they need to remain competitive.
“We know Pakistan A and Afghanistan will be in the UK during the summer and we are discussing possible fixtures with them.”
Scotland’s only confirmed home competitive fixtures so far are I-Cup and World Cricket League clashes with UAE.
Meanwhile, the squads to face Hong Kong in the same competitions next month will be named later this week.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here