ICC Cricket World Cup League 2: Scotland set for title defence in UAE

Scotland open against Canada in the United Arab Emirates on Friday (06:00 GMT) and meet each opponent twice.

Canada surprised the hosts in Dubai on Wednesday with a three-wicket win, their ninth outing since Scotland last played competitively, while the UAE have had 22 games in that time – including a trio of T20s against New Zealand and Afghanistan.

Spanning almost three years, the tournament also features Netherlands, Namibia, Nepal, Oman and the United States.

Scotland will host games in May this year and next as well as August 2026.

The top-four nations will progress directly to a 10-team qualifier event for the 2027 World Cup, with four places in South Africa and Zimbabwe up for grabs.

While in the UAE, Scotland will also squeeze in three T20s against the hosts, with James Dickinson, Oli Hairs and Gavin Main taking over from Wheal, Scott Currie and Hamza Tahir in the squad for the shorter format.

Overseeing it all will be interim head coach Stevie Gilmour, with assistance from Moneeb Iqbal and Andy McKay.

The trio all worked under previous caretaker Doug Watson, so do not expect many changes.

“For me, it’s about getting the players in a good place mentally and play to their strengths. That’s a big part of my role in such a short-term position,” said Gilmour.

“The guys are used to getting up to speed quickly after a period of not playing, so I’ve got no concerns.

“Hopefully we can get off to a good start on this trip, and whoever is coming in to take over, hopefully put them on the front foot in this competition.”

While the search for a successor to Shane Burger is taking longer than a Geoffrey Boycott double century, the team has been ticking along nicely.

That said, with just one more round of World Cup League 2 fixtures to come before the T20 World Cup adventure in the Caribbean, there is a need to settle the issue.

Scotland squad: Richie Berrington (capt), Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Scott Currie, Chris Greaves, Jack Jarvis, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Hamza Tahir, Charlie Tear, Andrew Umeed, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal.