Gavin Hamilton is only three weeks into his tenure as Scotland captain but, according to Glenn Rogers, the allrounder, his impact has been immediate.

Click here for the full story and to leave your comments.

Scotland have named Gavin Hamilton, their most experienced player, as the successor to Ryan Watson, the former captain who stepped down this week in the wake of his team's failure to qualify for the 2011 World Cup.

Click here for more.

The preparations for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers continued in South Africa at the weekend.

Ryan Watson led from the front in Scotland’s win over Westerns in Pretoria, his 73 guiding them home after being set a modest target of 170. “It was a good result and important to get our first go out in the middle,” coach Pete Steindl said. “There are one or two areas that need to be worked on but we also had some good individual performances."

Ireland’s batsmen were in good form as they piled up 309 for 8 against Eastern Province, William Porterfield’s 97 the main innings, but a weakened bowling attack was in less inspired mood as the hosts squeezed to a one-wicket win with two balls in hand.

On Friday, Netherlands beat Boland Academy by 29 runs, but it took a superb sixth-wicket stand of 174 between Mudassar Bukhari and Peter Borren to dig them out of a hole. Bukhari finished on 128 not out from 100 balls, Borren with 74 from 79.

Cricket Scotland has announced a pre-tax surplus of £57,481 in the year to December 2008, compared to £40,121 in the previous year.

The most striking difference in the latest accounting period was the significant increase in the funds spent on the development and training of young cricketers. In 2008, this amounted to £531,058, an increase of 121,865 (30%) on the 2007 figure.

"This reflects the high priority we have placed on preparing the next generations of Scottish cricketers," said Roddy Smith, chief executive of Cricket Scotland. "We now have a total of 16 people working on community development programmes."

Ian Ramage, an Edinburgh-based umpire, has been appointed to the ICC’s Associate and Affiliate International Umpires’ Panel.

The panel, comprising ten umpires, was formed in June 2006 to cope with the increasing amount of international cricket below the elite level. It serves as the pinnacle for umpires from non-Test playing countries, with selection achieved through each of the five ICC Development Programme Regional Umpires Panels.

Members of the panel are eligible for appointments to ODIs involving ICC Associate Members, the ICC Intercontinental Cup matches and other Associate and Affiliate tournaments.

"This is fantastic news for Ian and for umpiring in Scotland," said Roddy Smith, the Cricket Scotland chief executive. "It shows what can be achieved within the ICC structure for our aspiring top umpires. I hope Ian is the first of a number of our best umpires who can eventually reach this level and go on to officiate with distinction."

Also appointed with Ramage was Denmark’s Niels Bagh. Together with Paul Baldwin of Germany (who also has Scottish connections), they form a strong European contingent on the panel.

"I am, of course, delighted and honoured to have been selected to join this international Panel," said Ramage, who works during the week for United Utilities in Warrington, Cheshire. "Fortunately, I have an understanding boss who is also a cricketer, and I have been saving up leave to make myself available whenever the ICC calls."

Ramage has not yet been appointed to officiate in any future ICC matches, but he did stand in the ODI between Ireland and Kenya last year.

Cricket Scotland has taken a significant step forward in handing professional contracts to three of its players, Dewald Nel, Gordon Goudie and Ryan Watson, the Scotland captain.

Scotland, one of the six Associate nations, has received a significantly increased grant of US$350,000 (£230,000) and it was widely expected that leading Associates would try to use this to allow their leading cricketers to turn professional. But general economic uncertainty, allied to a reduction in the sum expected because of the postponement of the Champions Trophy last September, has led to plans being revised.

The full story is here.

	John Blain: 'It is fantastic to be recognised by my team-mates' © Cricket Scotland

John Blain has received the Players’ Player-of-the-Year award at the final event Cricket Scotland’s calendar, the Caledonians Dinner.

Blain, now working in a coaching capacity for Yorkshire, has been one of Scotland’s leading players since his debut in 1996. The award was given for Blain’s efforts both on and off the field and in recognition of the respect in which he is held by his team mates.

"It is fantastic to be recognised by my team-mates. We are a very closely-knit squad and have worked hard collectively this year,” Blain said. “Next year is a huge one for us, and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead of us."

Gavin Hamilton was named Scotland's batsman of the year, Colin Smith the allrounder's award while Dewald Nel's 42 wickets earned him the bowler of the year medal.

Aberdeenshire lifted the Magners Club-of-the-Year award last night at the Scotland National Cricket League ceremony. Huntly CC and Kinross CC share the honours for the CMYK Junior Club of the Year.

Steven Knox, Sean Weeraratna and Cedric English took the individual honours for the Scotland Premier Division.

Jan Stander celebrated his recent call-up to the Scotland squad by winning two awards in the Second Division whilst also accepting the championship flag on behalf of Stoneywood Dyce.

“It has been a very competitive year in the SNCL with all three divisional champions not sorted out until the final couple of weeks of the year. There have been some excellent team and individual performances which gained due reward tonight,” said Roddy Smith, the chief executive of Cricket Scotland.

“Grange, Aberdeenshire and Stoneywood Dyce are very worthy winners of the three league titles whilst Aberdeenshire were a clear winner of the Magners Club of the Year for their efforts on the field, with junior cricket and their hosting of one day internationals for the first time.”

A little more than a week after the postponement of the Champions Trophy, Cricinfo can reveal that the ICC will have to either move or postpone its next high-profile event, the World Cup Qualifiers.

The tournament, which involves the leading Associates, is due to be staged in the UAE next April, with the top four countries winning a place at the 2011 World Cup. The event will also be used to establish which six Associates will be granted one-day status for the next four years.

Read the full story here and leave your comments below.

Aberdeenshire and Stoneywood-Dyce staged Scotland's first-ever floodlit match yesterday, borrowing floodlights used by overnight workers on motorways.

"It created a decent spectacle and the evening was a fantastic success with a great crowd turning up," Neil MacRae, coach of the triumphant Aberdeenshire side, revealed to the Scotsman. Click here to read the full story.

Scotland have replaced Zimbabwe in next year's ICC World Twenty20. During the ICC's annual conference week Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) officials had said they were willing to pull out of the event, but chairman Peter Chingoka was sent back to Dubai to discuss further details of the agreement. He met with ICC president David Morgan, vice president Sharad Pawar and chief executive Haroon Lorgat.

The decision has been taken as a one-off with ZC recognising that the UK Government would be unlikely to issue visas for the team given that they had already cancelled the planned bilateral series next May.

Read the full story at Cricinfo and post your comments below.

As widely predicted yesterday, the miserable weather in Ayr prevented Scotland's second ODI against Kenya from taking place. So bad was the weather that it was called off some three hours before the scheduled start of play. Attention now turns to Scotland's next ODI on Monday, against England.

The weather hasn't been kind to Associate cricket over the past week, and that drizzly trend continued at Ayr where Scotland's first ODI against Kenya was washed out.

In the play that was possible, Kenya struggled to 141 for 8 in 35 overs. Dewald Nel and John Blain each took two wickets as Kenya's fragile top-order failed to deliver, slipping to 32 for 3 when Steve Tikolo was caught behind for 2. However, Thomas Odoyo smashed four sixes in a brief 45 from 39 balls to loft Kenya's score towards something resembling respectable, before the rain fell once more.

Set 141 from a revised 35 overs, Scotland lost Gavin Hamilton for 9 but the rain again returned and the match was abandoned.

The second ODI at Ayr is scheduled for Wednesday, but the forecast is no more promising than today's.

The World Twenty20 Qualifers get underway at Belfast tomorrow. Have a read of our preview of this important event.

The ICC and ECB have reaffirmed their support for the mandatory release of Associate players from county cricket to take part in international matches and the priority of FTP events.

Continue reading "Boards reaffirm commitment to Associates"

The ICC has announced a revised schedule for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Belfast next month.

The tournament, involving the six leading Associate teams - Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland - will now take place from August 2 to 5, with a fourth day included to allow room for a third and fourth-place play-off.

Click here for the full story

Although the ECB has told Cricinfo that no plans have been made to identify the two additional sides joining the 18 first-class counties in the new EPL, Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith had said that he does not expect his side to be one of them.

It is widely believed that one slot will be filled by a team belonging to Allen Stanford, as part of his recent multi-million pound deal with the ECB. Despite media speculation that the other could come from Australia, county sources have indicated to Cricinfo that they believe the second side could come from the IPL for commercial reasons, assuming some deal could be agreed with the BCCI.

"Ourselves and Ireland both applied to the ECB about being involved in the EPL but were unsuccessful in doing so," Smith told The Scotsman. "For us it wasn't to be, which is fair enough. The ECB are under no obligation to do anything for us."

	Eoin Morgan: only one winner when it came to club or country © Getty Images

In his column in the Sunday Tribune this week, Ger Higgins highlighted the problem, laying the blame at the door of the ECB.

"There is ample evidence that Irish cricket is being systematically plundered by English counties," he wrote. "The fact that there are a dozen-odd players attached to counties wouldn't be much of a problem if they played fair about player release. But they don't: already this season Morgan, Niall O'Brien and William Porterfield have "opted" to play for their employers ahead of their country. Even an ICC regulation that players must be released for ODIs failed to prise that trio from the clutches of the counties. And it is a similar story with Scots players.

"It is about time that the ECB showed some leadership and told the counties to allow their Irishmen and Scotsmen to play internationals. A FIFA-style regulation could be introduced where a player who is not released must not play for the club on any of the days of the Irish game."

Continue reading "Only one winner in county v country debate"

Scotland will have little time to prepare for their Intercontinental Cup clash with Canada after they were stranded in Bermuda by the after-effects of Hurricane Bertha.

The storm had been expected to disrupt their game with Bermuda but as it happened the match was unaffected. But it hit the region afterwards, leaving the Scottish players stranded in their hotel rooms.

“The airport in Hamilton was shut down and the squad were unable to make their connection to Toronto,” Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith said. “The guys were confined to their rooms all day to escape the worst of the wind and heavy rain.

"We were given the option of delaying the start of the Canada match by 24 hours, but we decided against that because of the tight schedule next week when the lads go to Belfast for the European Championships."

Scotland will have less than a day to acclimitise to conditions which are far removed from those experienced in Bermuda as the match in Toronto starts on July 16.

Fraser Watts has denied Bermuda with a courageous 93 on the first day of Scotland's Intercontinental Cup match at Hamilton. Click here for the report.

Omer Hussain, the 23-year-old left-hander, has been called up to Scotland’s squad for their Intercontinental Cup matches against Bermuda and Canada.

Hussain, the cousin of Majid Haq, adds youth to the squad and he arrives in good form after averaging 62 for his local club, Ferguslie. His stand-in captain, Ryan Watts, is insistent that the presence of some younger faces is by no means for show.

Click here for the full story

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Continue reading "Future bright beyond the Test world"

Scotland will travel to Bermuda and Canada next month without several front-line players who are being rested for other matches later in the summer.

Scotland captain Ryan Watson, along with Gavin Hamilton, Craig Wright, Glenn Rogers and John Blain, have not been included in the 13-man squad which will play Intercontinental Cup matches in Bermuda (July 10-13) and Canada (July 16-19).

But, after discussions with the selectors, they will leave behind a group of experienced players who are being ‘rested’ in preparation for other major matches later in July and August.

“Although Scotland cannot now hope to win the Cup itself, we will certainly take these matches seriously, and the players know that they represent an excellent platform for their talents,” Peter Steindl, Scotland’s coach, said. “For our own ranking in the global game, we aim to win both matches."

Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland’s chief executive, added: "It is vital that we build strength in depth among our international squads - particularly with next year’s World Cup qualifying tournament in mind."

Scotland squad Fraser Watts (capt), Richie Berrington, Dewald Nel, Sean Weeraratna, Gordon Drummond, Gordon Goudie, Dougie Lockhart, Majid Haq, Ross Lyons, Qasim Sheikh, Neil McCallum, Gregor Maiden, Colin Smith (wkt).

Roddy Smith, the chief executive of Cricket Scotland, has expressed his disappointment at the fact there is likely to be no television coverage of this summer's ODI fixture between Scotland and England.

Click here for the full story.

Neil Drysdale reports on the unexpected return of the Australian, Tony Judd, to his coaching role with Scotland.

These words embody Judd's optimistic personality and one need only talk to Saltires stalwart, Paul Hoffman, to discover why he was held in such lofty regard during his earlier tenure. "Tony wears his heart on his sleeve, he doesn't pull any punches, and he is ultra-competitive, but above all, he never blames a player if they are doing their best and aiming to be adventurous," said Hoffmann, who retired at the end of 2007, but may be poised to participate in the Twenty20 event in Ireland. "I think Pete and Tony will make a terrific combination, and the more good coaches we have in Scotland, the better. But the one thing about Tony is that he won't tolerate complacency or laziness, and he is a demanding guy. Sentiment doesn't come into it, and I think we all share the opinion that it is high time we followed Ireland's example and beat one of cricket's big guns."

Click here to read the full report.

Ireland will host the inaugural World Twenty20 Qualifiers between August 2 and 4, with the top six Associates vying for the two places available to them in next year's ICC World Twenty20 in England.

Click here for more and the itinerary.

Scotland's leading batsmen haven't exactly covered themselves in glory this season, but at least Navdeep Poonia - who lines up against Yorkshire at Edinburgh on Sunday - can consider himself in prime nick. The 22 year-old opener - who is blessed with a serene temperament, a rich array of attacking strokes and a potent combination of patience and pugnacity - has already enjoyed himself on Warwickshire's behalf this week, hitting 111 and 50 (retired) against Cambridge UCCE and he is optimistic he can continue that sequence in the Friends Provident Trophy.

Click here for Neil Drysdale's full report ahead of Scotland's match against Yorkshire

Much is spoken about the expansion of the international game, and if, as expected, proposals for a significant increase in funding for the Associates is approved when the ICC meets in June, then their progress should be further boosted.

But cash and goodwill can only go so far. What is widely agreed is that to improve, the leading Associates need to play more, and against the elite top ten Full Member countries. And that is where the problems come.

A casual glance at the international schedule will show that the major countries are on an almost constant global tour. In part this is because of the requirements of the Future Tours Programme, but more often than not the large gaps in that schedule are filled with lucrative one-day tours or tournaments.

In an ideal world, there would be time for India or England to undertake ambassadorial tours to Kenya or the Netherlands. But given the choice between a lucrative three-match series against commercially attractive opposition containing star names or a trip to a cricketing outpost in Africa or Europe, it's not a contest.

Click here for the full article

	Bruce Patterson is one of only two players to have totalled more than 4000 runs for Scotland © Getty Images

Bruce Patterson, one of Scotland's leading run-scorers, has announced his retirement from the game aged 43.

"Unless there is a goal it is difficult to get motivated for club cricket and it's a few years since I last played for Scotland. I've had a fantastic career and would like to thank everyone who has helped me along the way.

"If anyone had told me as a 15 year-old that I'd end up with 124 caps I'd have said no chance.

"I was more of a manufactured player than a natural but at least I can say I made the most of my ability."

Patterson famously hit the first ball ever faced by a Scot in a World Cup for four when Scotland lined-up against Australia at a packed New Road, Worcester, in 1999.

However, the highlight of his career came ten years earlier when he scored 70 against Allan Border's Australian side in front of 5,000 fans at Hamilton Crescent.

William Dick has more at The Scotsman.

Cricket Scotland have announced a record turnover of £1,778,891, yielding a surplus of £40,121 for the 2007 calendar year.

The annual report and accounts will be tabled at the annual general meeting (AGM) of the governing body at Stirling Cricket Club on March 30. Much of the increase in turnover is the result of the staging of the inaugural offshore international in Scotland, the ODI between India and Pakistan last summer, even though not a ball was bowled because of the sodden conditions after two weeks of rain.

Click here for the full story.

Scottish cricket received a significant boost this week with the confirmation that a sponsor has been found to back a new national Twenty20 competition across Scotland this summer.

The format has proved one of the most popular innovations in the sport during the past three years and Scotland will now have its own tournament, with Glasgow-based sponsors, Murgitroyd and Company, agreeing on a two-year deal. It is believed to be worth five figures.

Click here for the full report from Neil Drysdale.

Two young brothers are joining a squad of Scotland cricketers on a tour of South Africa.

Carlton seam bowler Charles Legget, 20, and his 15-year- old brother Peter – who plays for Merchiston Castle School and Watsonians – are in the under-20 and under-15 squads respectively that left the Capital in the early hours of this morning bound for Port Elizabeth.

The itinerary consists of eight matches, six of 50 overs duration and two Twenty20 games, for each team. The highlight of a testing 16-day trip is set to be the final match of the tour, which is against the Eastern Province State age group teams at the local test match venue St Georges Park.

Craig Wright, who is head coach of the under-20s, said: "I am sure our young players will benefit hugely from the exposure to matches against quality opposition in good cricket conditions. It will also provide them with a great opportunity to hit the season in Scotland running; producing some strong performances when their school, club or representative matches get under way."

The Scotsman has the full story.

As widely expected, the ICC executive board approved proposals to reduce the number of Associates participating at the 2011 World Cup from six to four.

This was done, so the ICC claimed, to reduce the length of an event which many considered to be too bloated in 2007 from 47 days to 38.

The ICC's 10 Full Members automatically qualify and they will be joined by the top four teams from next years World Cup Qualifiers in Dubai. As thing stands, this means that Ireland have to qualify for a tournament they reached the Super Sixes at last time, while Zimbabwe, who are below them in the official ICC One-Day Rankings, do not.

Alternative proposals, including one which would have involved a pre-qualifying tournament featuring the top six Associates as well as Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, were earlier rejected by the ICC's chief executives committee.

Majid Haq, the Scotland offspinner, is heading to Warwickshire on Monday in a bid to secure a county contract, according to a report in today's Scotsman. Haq, 24, is to spend a week with Warwickshire's director of cricket, Ashley Giles.

ICC Europe has announced the schedule and venues for the ICC European Division 1 Championship to be held in Ireland from the July 25 to 31, 2008.

The 50-over round-robin tournament will see Europe's top six Associate and Affiliate countries - Denmark, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Scotland - fight it out for Europe's top spot. Six cricket grounds will be used to host a total of 15 matches that will see each country come face to face over five days.

Click here for the full story

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

Click here for the full story.

As revealed by Cricinfo last month, the 2011 World Cup will be shortened and the main victims of the change will be the Associate countries who will have their numbers cut from six to four.

"It is a move we both feared and expected and it's not great news for the Associates," Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of the Irish Cricket Union, told Cricinfo. "Neither is it a great vote of confidence in the ICC's own High Performance Programme.

Click here to tell us what you think of this? Is it the start of the gradual elimination of smaller countries from the World Cup or a necessary and welcome move?

Pete Steindl, the new Scotland coach, could hand Sean Weeraratna his comeback in Namibia next month, reports The Scotsman.

The ICC Development Program has announced the regional winners of the 2007 Annual Awards. Scotland and Germany were the biggest winners in the Europe region, picking up two awards each.

Scotland received the awards for the best overall cricket development program and best cricket promotion and marketing. Cricket Scotland had a particularly successful 2007 as its grassroots programme grew significantly.

Germany was awarded the best women’s initiative award for an Under-17 women’s tournament held in Oldenburg in February and the best junior initiative award for its “Cricket to German Schools” project which has helped double the number of school children participating in cricket across Germany.

Continue reading "Scotland and Germany big winners"

Peter Steindl, the former Scotland fast bowler, has been announced as the country's new coach, replacing Peter Drinnen who resigned in July.

"After working with the squad last season on an interim basis I am delighted to progress to work full-time in preparing the team towards the 2009 ICC Trophy," Steindl said. "We have the opportunity to build on some excellent performances last season and prepare for an exciting fixture list this season. We have 16 months to prepare the squad for a massive event and the work starts now."

Drinnen resigned after a run of disappointing results, and the team played on without a permanent coach for the remainder of the summer as Steindl and Andy Tennant shared the position in an unofficial capacity. Steindl's tenure starts in earnest on January 1.

Andy Tennant, Cricket Scotland’s newly-designated head of cricket, has become the first coach in Scotland to acquire a Level 4 coaching qualification, after a course which lasted over two years.

“The course lasted 27 months,” Tennant said. “It consisted of 12 modules varying from three to five days in length. There were five assignments and a final assessment. The portfolio of supporting evidence about my coaching practice that I submitted for my final assessment was 17,000 words long!”

Tennant’s ‘cohort’ of colleagues who were also seeking a Level 4 qualification at the same time included candidates from the professional game in England and several well-known faces, including Chris Adams, the Sussex captain, together with Ian Salisbury and Graeme Fowler.

“I am delighted to have completed what has been an extremely long but rewarding journey,” Tennant said. “The ECB elite coaching programme is undoubtedly at the cutting edge of coaching and I am excited about using the knowledge and skills I have gained on the course to help Scottish cricket and our elite young cricketers to become even more competitive on the world stage.”

Gordon Lord, the Elite Coach Development Manager for the ECB, added: "We are delighted that Andy Tennant has achieved the Level 4 Award. He joins an elite group of 62 coaches worldwide who hold this qualification.

“Andy's outstanding communication and leadership skills, his ability to integrate into his coaching process a deep understanding of the technical, tactical, physical, mental and lifestyle demands of the elite game, and his ability to learn, will ensure that he remains at the forefont of the coaching profession."

Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland’s chief executive, also paid tribute to Tennant’s tenacity over the two-year course of training: “Cricket Scotland is investing a significant resource in supporting our best coaches. Andy’s success will hopefully be the forerunner to the next group of coaches achieving this professional qualification.”

Scotland will be among the first to use Dubai's new state-of-the-art academy when it opens late next year, according to a report in today’s Herald:

Roddy Smith, chief executive of Cricket Scotland, has revealed that the Scots will complete their preparations at the new academy which includes a 25,000-seater stadium and indoor arenas.

Smith said: "The stadium is well on the way to completion and we're told the entire cricket academy will be ready to open late next year.

"That will tie in very nicely with our preparations for the World Cup qualifiers. I'd imagine we'd go out there for a few weeks either in late 2008 or early 2009 to prepare."

Tony Cozier is, rightly, one of the most respected journalists in the game. His work to cover and promote cricket in the Caribbean has been unstinting for almost four decades. And yet even the best writers have off days, and his attack on the way that the ICC funds the Intercontinental Cup, the first-class competition for the Associates, is one of those.

Continue reading "ICC must go on funding cricket's expansion"

Tony Cozier, the veteran Caribbean journalist and broadcaster, has launched a scathing attack on the way the ICC funds global cricket outside the Test-playing countries.

Writing in his column which is syndicated throughout the Caribbean, Cozier was angry at the way that established regions, such as West Indies, were not allocated more money instead of so much being spent by the ICC on Associate competitions.

“Certainly there is no ICC venture more illogical or costly than the one dubbed the Inter-Continental Cup,” he wrote. “It is an annual tournament, described by the ICC as its ‘flagship first-class competition’, comprising round-robin, four-day matches between its second tier members, those one below Test status. These are countries where the game has always been based on amateur, weekend, one-day club cricket. They play no four-day domestic matches and almost certainly never will.

“Yet the ICC doles out heaven knows how much cash every year to fly them, and their own entourage of officials, across the world and to house and feed them at venues as scattered as Aberdeen, Dublin, Namibia, Toronto, Sharjah and Windhoek.

“Canada were unable to raise their strongest team for the African tour because many of their best players simply could not get time off from their jobs. The same problem affects others, rendering the tournament even less relevant.”

The ICC maintains that the competition enables players from Associate countries to gain more experience in the longer form of the game.

The ICC Europe Cricket Committee (ECC) have confirmed Ireland as the host for next year's European Division One Championship.

They lasted hosted the tournament in 2002 when 12 teams participated. In the past five years, however, six more countries have joined including Europe's four High Performance Program countries: Denmark, Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. Norway - who won Division Two in 2006 - also join Italy.

The previous championship, hosted by Scotland in 2006, crowned Ireland as the European Champions and 2008's event will also feature three official one-dayers.

Meanwhile it was also confirmed that Guernsey will host the Division Two Championship in August, a six-team tournament which includes France, Germany, Gibraltar and Jersey. The sixth place will be decided later this year when Croatia meet Israel on November 18.

Cricket Scotland has announced a 15-man squad to take part in September's Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa.

"I know that this bunch of cricketers will give everything they've got to make an impression," Ryan Watson, Scotland's captain, said. "We have nothing to lose, and we have to play with that certainty in order to spring a surprise or two."

Roddy Smith, chief executive of Cricket Scotland, welcomed the opportunity for Scotland to play on the world stage and said, "The team showed in their very close loss to West Indies last month that they can compete very well against Full Members."

Scotland have two warm-up games arranged in South Africa prior to the tournament, against Bangladesh on September 8 and Zimbabwe on September 9.

Scotland squad Ryan Watson (capt), John Blain, Dougie Brown, Navdeep Poonia, Gordon Drummond, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Ross Lyons, Qasim Sheikh, Neil McCallum, Gregor Maiden, Dewald Nel, Colin Smith (wk), Fraser Watts, Craig Wright.

Who do you think should be Scotland's new coach? Let us know in the comments below

'I've never made any secret of the fact that coaching is the route I want to go down' © Getty Images

Craig Wright, the former Scotland captain, has ruled himself out of contention as Scotland's coach and the search to replace Peter Drinnen continues.

Wright missed last week's Quadrangular in Ireland, also involving Netherlands and West Indies, with an ankle injury. But in spite of being placed in charge of Scotland A's 2nd XI Championship match against Durham next week, Wright insists he is still too inexperienced to be considered.

"I'm definitely not interested and am not a contender," Wright told The Scotsman. "It makes sense for me to take the A team because I've worked with a lot of the players at under-age level and this is the next stage.

"I've never made any secret of the fact that coaching is the route I want to go down," added the 33-year-old. "But I need to learn my trade and gain experience."

Since Drinnen's departure, Andy Tennant and Peter Steindl have both been unofficially in charge of the side and will share the position until the end of the season.

Scotland’s preparations for the Twenty20 World Championships get underway with two matches in the coming week.

On Wednesday (July 18), they meet a Cricket Contacts XI at Falkland CC. The Contacts XI consists of Australians currently playing as professionals or amateurs in the Scottish leagues. The match is a charity one, in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and starts at 4pm at Scroggie Park ground in Falkland.

On Friday (July 20) they play the Grange in a match to help celebrate the clubs 175th anniversary. The match starts at 5pm and entrance is free.

Leave your thoughts about the latest crisis to hit Scottish cricket in the comments below

Drinnen will continue to coach the A team and Under-23s © Getty Images

Cricket Scotland yesterday took the widely-anticipated step of removing Peter Drinnen from his role as national coach, ensuring a fresh victory for player-power, as sparked by some of Scotland's senior internationalists.

Drinnen, the 39 year-old Australian who had only been in the post since the start of 2006 after replacing Englishman, Andy Moles - another victim of a behind-the-scenes putsch - told The Herald last week that he would battle to save his job and confirmed he was aware that a "small group" of his players had provoked dressing-room unrest, principally because they believed Drinnen was spending too much time with the Scotland "A" squad. Yet, remarkably in the circumstances, Cricket Scotland issued a statement yesterday, announcing that "caretaker coaches" - namely Andy Tennant and Peter Steindl - would be in charge of the national side until the end of the Twenty20 World Championship in September, whilst Drinnen would continue to "deliver his remit" with the A team and the Under-23s.

In short, by their own admission, the man who isn't deemed good enough to coach Ryan Watson's personnel, is being allowed to nurture the next generation, the individuals who will be involved, hopefully, when the Scots participate at the 2011 World Cup. It is a dreadful fudge, a crisis which need never have happened had Cricket Scotland shown some firm governance when news of the player revolt initially surfaced, but just as in Moles' case, the governing body has slammed the stable door a fortnight too late.

Amid the row, few people emerge with any credit, beyond Drinnen, who has been badly let down by a few under-achieving performers, apparently dwelling under the misapprehension that Scotland's woeful displays for much of 2007 have nothing to do with them. So too, Roddy Smith, the chief executive of CS, has hardly impressed with his leadership qualities and lack of openness about the crisis even as it unfolded, with players spilling their guts in public, without having the courage to go on the record.

"We would like to take the opportunity to thank Peter for his work with the senior team over the last 18 months, which culminated in the team's excellent performance at the World Cricket League," said Smith in a press release, issued at 4.01pm, beyond which he refused to elaborate.

It is a dreadful fudge, a crisis which need never have happened had Cricket Scotland shown some firm governance when news of the player revolt initially surfaced, but just as in Moles' case, the governing body has slammed the stable door a fortnight too late

"However, given Peter's wider remit, it is felt that a change of personnel is required with the national team as we look forward to the Twenty20 World Championship [and] a full fixture list in 2009. The A team has developed under Peter's guidance and already three or four members have made the breakthrough to the national side." Interestingly, this is the same number as the alleged party of malcontents who have effectively engineered Drinnen's removal.

There was the usual waffle from Smith about his "gratitude" to Drinnen for his "hard work", but nary a word about the poisonous atmosphere which explains why five coaches have come and gone in the last six years. As things stand, Warwickshire's Dougie Brown, a consummate professional and a proud, passionate Scot, is being touted to pick up the reins later this year, but one wonders whether, in the present climate, he would touch it with a bargepole.

Scotland's World Cup cricket captain, Craig Wright, has voiced his fear that the sport has hit a "glass ceiling" in his homeland and that, barring some significant new investment for the leading players, he could foresee the Scots starting to slip back down the international ladder, a scenario which Wright described as a "disaster".

Continue reading "Lack of cash could lead to Scottish decline"

Click here to leave your comments below

There is increasing concern that Scotland might be thrown out of England's domestic one-day competition due to their staging "offshore" tournaments which, the ECB say, "could dilute moneys coming into the game".

Scotland have organised an international between India and Pakistan in Glasgow on July 3, an event that hopes to raise £2.5m for the Princes Trust while celebrating the 60th anniversary of independence for both countries. However, the one-dayer is to be broadcast by Zee TV - not ESPN, who pay the ECB a sizeable amount of money to broadcast all England's international cricket to Asia. Consequently, Scotland's deal with Zee TV could weaken the ECB's next TV deal with ESPN.

"There is a serious concern that offshore matches could dilute moneys coming into the game in the long term," said David Collier, the ECB's chief executive, told the Daily Telegaph.

Ireland are in a similar situation. They face India and South Africa for two one-dayers in June, preceding a series of ODIs between the two nations. But this clashes with England matches on June 29 and July 1. Again, TV coverage is at the heart of the issue.

A spokesman from Cricket Scotland told Cricinfo that negotiations have been taking place for several months but they expect to reach a conclusion this week.

The draw for the second round of the Scottish Cup was made this morning on John Beattie’s Sports Weekly programme on BBC Radio Scotland:

West Lothian or bbh Stenhousemuir v Ferguslie

Arbroath United v NVT Poloc

Dunfermline or Edinburgh v Freuchie

Carlton or Prestwick v Stoneywood-Dyce or RH Corstorphine

Tunnocks Uddingston v Forfarshire

Watsonians or SMRH v Greenock

Greaves Clydesdale v Banks Development Renfrew or Ayr

West of Scotland v Grange or Weirs

The inaugural ICC European Twenty20 Challenge competition has been cancelled because three of the countries due to take part have announced they are playing ODIs in Belfast at the same time.

Europe's four ICC Associate Member High-Performance countries - Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands and Denmark - were set to compete in the championship, which was a new addition to the European tournament program for 2007. But Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands have taken on other commitments and that made the tournament impractical.

Richard Holdsworth, the ICC's regional development manager for Europe, said: "The recent announcement of an ODI series between India and South Africa in Belfast is fantastic news for the further promotion of the game in Ireland. It will provide additional world class cricket for the many followers in Ireland, but most importantly both of these ICC Full Members have agreed to play against Ireland.

Continue reading "Inaugural European Twenty20 tournament cancelled"

The fixtures for the first half of the 2007-08 Intercontinental Cup have been released by the ICC.

The tournament undergoes a change of format once again, with the group stages scrapped and a round-robin system introduced. This will mean that the eight participants play seven matches after the two-year span of the competition.

The event kicks off on June 28 when Canada, who meet Ireland in the final of the 2006-07 tournament at Leicester between May 22 and 25, meet Netherlands in Toronto.

Scotland play back-to-back matches against Ireland and Netherlands at the start of August, while Bermuda will be in Europe to take on the same opponents at the end of the month.

The schedule shows that Bermuda are the busiest country in 2007 with four matches, all away from home. In addition to their European trip, they play Kenya in Nairobi at the start of November and from there go straight to the meet UAE.

Namibia, on the other hand, have only one game inked in, while Kenya have two.

Martin Williamson has written an article which highlights the pressures players for Associate countries face as they compete with the budgets of the Full Members.

In expanding the game, the ICC has, rightly, offered more matches to the Associates. On top of any ODIs they can persuade Full Member countries to give them, as well as tournaments they arrange among themselves, they participate in the Intercontinental Cup, the World Cricket League and the four-yearly ICC Trophy. But that expansion has not taken into account that the players remain amateur.

The flaw in the ICC's plan is that the increased demands have not been backed by additional funding. In the year ending April 30, 2007, Scotland were scheduled to play 46 days of cricket (including warm-ups for tournaments) as a national side; the numbers for the other Associates are similar - Bermuda 45, Canada 43, Ireland 42, Kenya 37, Netherlands 24. That does include time spent preparing, travelling and acclimatising.

The direct funding they receive for that from the ICC amounts to US$215,000, of which $125,000 is not actually handed over to the boards but is retained by the ICC and used to offset other costs, such as paying for coaches and hosting training camps. Compare that with the lowest-ranked Full Member, Zimbabwe, who will receive around US$10 million with no requirement to account for how it is spent. In the same period, they had 37 days cricket scheduled. That really puts into perspective Ireland's achievement in Jamaica.

	Going easy on the minnows? © Getty Images

Robert Craddock, writing in The Australian, thinks he knows why.

It is understood commentators have been told by Global Cricket Corp producers that it frowns on them denigrating the minnows. However, it is deemed acceptable for commentators to call an event a mismatch but not to say some of the nations do not deserve to be in the tournament.

Some commentators who agree with the directive and feel the minnows are a necessary part of global expansion are happy to abide by it. Others, who feel the tournament has been devalued by their presence, would rather speak their mind.

And Craddock concluded by saying that some of the players themselves are aware of the real picture.

The widespread feeling that the minnows are enjoying every moment of their matches against the big boys is wide of the mark. Several Dutch players privately conceded they feel embarrassed by their team's efforts.

Keep your eyes and ears open and see if what you are watching tallies with what you are being told.

Scotland have lost their warm-up game against a Barbados Select XI in a warm-up to the World Cup warm-ups next week. John Blain, Navdeep Poonia and Glenn Rogers all played for the opposition to give the squad a good run out.

Mike Stanger, a spokesman for the Scottish side, told PA Sport: "It was a warm-up for the warm-ups and it was good for the players to get a game in.

"There were some very good things and some not so good things to come out of the game but it was a training match.

"Obviously we are hoping to be on our mettle for the first of the official warm-ups against Sri Lanka and we expect to be.

"There were no injuries and 14 players played, as well as a 12th man."

Barbados batted first after a rain delay and all-rounder Majid Haq excelled with the ball, taking five for 37, while Wright chipped in with two for 41.

There was one wicket apiece for Dewald Nel and Dougie Brown but, with Paul Hoffmann and Ross Lyons each going wicketless and shipping over 50 runs, the final total of 296 looked a challenge.

SportingLife has the full story.

Deuchars IPA, part of Caledonian Brewery, will be Scotland's shirt sponsors for next month's World Cup in the Caribbean. Most of Scotland's players have full-time jobs (read Scotland's CEO talk about this) and two of them, Ryan Watson and Gavin Hamilton, work for Deuchars.

“There are two jobs that most men most would like to do," Gavin Hamilton said, "selling great beer and playing sport at the highest level. I get to do both. Cheers!”

More at the Morning Advertiser and Caledonian.

Peter Drinnen, the Scotland coach, is confident his side can take advantage of an Australia side whose confidence is on the wane.

"In the one day game anything can happen, and if we get it together we are going to be very dangerous, even against Australia," said the coach, himself an Australian. "We have a game plan and hopefully we can stick to it.

"Our preparation couldn't have gone much better and I'm really happy with what we've got going on. All 15 players are good cricketers and can all do a job.

"We don't fear anyone at this World Cup - the last month's fixtures in one day cricket all over the world have been interesting to say the least, and we won't be losing any sleep over playing the world champions. We aren't going to the Caribbean to play exhibition cricket.

"Yes, we will be massive underdogs in the most difficult group, but I'm confident we will justify our place with the elite, and who knows what we could do? Nobody is getting carried away here and we know we've got jobs to do and we will be giving it everything to cause a shock."

Read the full interview with Drinnen and Craig Wright, the Scotland captain, at the Scotsman.

Scotland have underlined their position at the top of the ICC Associate ODI rankings after good performances in the World Cricket League in Nairobi. Kenya, who beat Scotland in the final, are not included as they are part of the main rankings until 2009.

Scotland beta Netherlands, Canada and Ireland in the tournament, giving them a 69% win rate against other Associates, well clear of Netherlands in second place. Ireland ate third after a disappointing event, Canada are fourth and Bermuda fifth.

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

Continue reading "A long way from home"

Scotland's cricketers last night sent an SOS home for extra supplies of a special energy drink after going through a six-week supply in just over a fortnight.

Officials admit they were caught out by the fierce heat and humidity in Mombasa during the recent Tri-Series with Kenya and Canada.

Read the full story in The Herald

Martin Williamson looks at what message is being sent to the Associates by the ICC deciding to appoint Darrell Hair to officiate in their tournament ... and do the ICC even know where they stand.

Continue reading "Mixed messages from Dubai"

Nick Deverell has a report at CricketEurope of a Rift Valley Sports Club Invitational XI beating Methlick CC, from Scotland.

	'I know I can do a job in the longer form of the game' © Scotland Cricket

Dougie Lockhart, the Scotland batsman who has been shunted up and down the order in recent years, will relaunch his international career this week when Scotland take on UAE in an Intercontinental Cup match at Sharjah.

What part Lockhart plays in proceedings remains to be seen for a player who, in recent seasons, has become the victim of his own versatility. The utility tag has not always worked to the advantage of the West of Scotland batsman/wicketkeeper to whom such alliterative obriquets as "Dedicated Dougie" and "Loyal Lockhart" have inevitably attached themselves.

Lockhart has responded to a string of disappointing omissions with commendable stoicism and, given a dearth of top-flight action of late, it is remarkable that he remains the country's third most-capped player with 135 international appearances.

Only skipper Craig Wright and Clydesdale all-rounder Greig Williamson have more, though Lockhart would surely be out on his own if a succession of selectors had recognised him for what he is - a solid opening batsman.

Instead, the former Oxford Blue has been shunted up and down the order in bewildering fashion, on occasion appearing only to retain his squad place on the strength of his alternative role as wicketkeeping understudy to Colin Smith.

The Sunday Herald has the full interview.

The Scotsman reports that Scotland’s cricketers set off on their longest-ever tour when they flew to Sharjah to prepare for a decisive Intercontinental Cup match against UAE.

Continue reading "Scots open their grand tour in heat of Sharjah"

Scotland’s wicketkeeper Colin Smith has told The Scotsman he could end a glittering career on a high by bowing out at the World Cup.

"I don't know what the future holds but it's getting harder to keep going. It's a huge commitment to maintain the fitness levels required these days for playing international cricket. When you have a career and a family to think about as well it's even more difficult.

"I'm making no decisions at this stage because we're about to embark on an intensive programme of matches. There is some crucial cricket to be played and I'll give it 100% but the World Cup might be my last big tournament for Scotland."

The announcement that the ICC is to expand the World Cricket League (WCL) to five divisions is great news for European Cricket.

The expansion will see a total of seven Associates and Affiliates from the Europe Region compete in the WCL. New additions Norway and Jersey are set to join the European top five teams who already compete in the competition.

Continue reading "High hopes for European Cricket"

According to CricketEurope, the ICC will expand the World Cricket League to five divisions:

The leading five European nations have already won places in the first three divisions: World Cup qualifiers Ireland, The Netherlands and Scotland in Division 1 (which will take place in Kenya in January-February next year), Denmark in Division 2 (planned for Namibia in November 2007), and Italy in Division 3 (planned to take place in the USA in summer 2007).

But with an eight-team Division 5 tournament now planned for the first half of 2008, five places in which are assigned to the next ranked country in each region, Norway are guaranteed a slot, along with Afghanistan, Argentina, Botswana and the Cook Islands.

The three remaining places will be allocated by the ICC Development Committee when it meets in December, and those allocations will be based on the rankings of the next group of countries. This means that Jersey, runners-up to Norway in this year’s European Second Division tournament, and possibly even Germany, who finished third, will be competing with The Bahamas, Panama, Nepal, Singapore, Mozambique, Zambia and Japan for those last three positions.

Read the full story at cricketeurope.net

The European Cricket Council's European Cricket Championships, which are being held in Scotland, are the first to be organised under the auspices of the International Cricket Council’s World Cricket League.

The tournament will feature 13 countries in two divisions playing 30 matches in seven days at 12 west of Scotland grounds, starting on Thursday (August 3).

The Division 1 sides - Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Italy - will play a round-robin tournament, from which there is no relegation. The three matches involving the first three named teams are deemed by the International Cricket Council as official One-Day Internationals, and will be played at Ayr Cricket Club, where ground facilities have been upgraded with support from South Ayrshire Council.

Scotland’s other two matches will be played at New Anniesland (against Denmark) and Hamilton Crescent (against Italy).

Division 2 consists of eight teams - France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hellas (Greece), Israel, Jersey and Norway - who will play in two initial pools of four, followed by crossover semi-finals and four ranking finals - and one team will be promoted to the first division in two years’ time. The facilities at all grounds have been equipped with additional weather protection and other enhancements, thanks to a range of local authority grants and commercial support.

A huge bonus is available for the Division 2 teams, with the winners not only promoted to the European Division 1 in 2008, but also a place in the new ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in 2007-08. This team will receive $20,000 towards preparation of that event, the venue of which is still to be decided.

Scottish umpires were reportedly disgusted after Saleem Sajjadm, who admitted verbally and physically attacking umpire Vic Hadcroft in a league match, escaped with a ban until the end of the season. Many had been demanding a life ban for Sajjadm.

Umpire training officer Jim Connell insisted the sentence had been a cop-out. He declared: "We have been let down badly - but, sadly, this is what I expected to happen, knowing who were making the decision. Sajjad's actions were not a spur-of-the-moment thing, they were pre-meditated. He was angry after being given out - but it was almost 15 minutes later when he re-entered the field of play to confront Vic.”

Click here for a full report from The Scotsman.

Ross Lyons is interviewed by Simon Buckland in the Sunday Times. Lyons, a left-arm spinner, is being touted as a major prospect for Scotland - and not just because of his Kevin Pietersen-like hair:

He will also be part of Scotland’s 14-man squad for the opening Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy ties later this month. “Before all this, without being negative, I never thought I’d get the chance, I didn’t think I was good enough,” he admits. “I’m starting to change my mind about that now.”

The ramifications of the departure of
Andy Moles as Scotland’s coach continue to rumble on, with a report in the Scotsman on Sunday claiming that he was sacked rather than resigned, as Cricket Scotland’s media department maintain.

Following the blandest of media releases on Friday, no-one at Cricket Scotland appears to have been able to give a firm reason for Moles’s departure and few seem to believe that it was of his volition.

But the article by William Dick indicates that it might not have been because of player unrest, as most reports have suggested. “It has emerged that there were concerns about various aspects of the coach's performance from early in his reign, begging the question why it took bosses so long to act.”

Six months ago to the day, coach Andy Moles guided Scotland to the ICC Trophy - and into the 2007 World Cup - and was rewarded with a two-year extension to his contract. Today, he resigned to spend more time with his family, according to a bland media release from Cricket Scotland. That disguised a far more tawdry reality, namely that a few of Scotland' senior players appear to have clashed with Moles, and the board has backed them rather than him.

With a lack of high-profile sponsors and serious questions over some players' fitness, Scotland go into one of their biggest years in some thing of a mess.