By Mark Woods BBC Scotland Sport

Overseas signing Ed Cowan has experience with New South Wales

The Saltires open up their Friends Provident Trophy campaign on Sunday, against Lancashire at The Grange.

And Steindl, as coach, and Cowan, the imported batsman, are eager to play central roles, on and off the field, for the rank outsiders in the competition's Northern group.

With Durham, Yorkshire and Derbyshire also battling for just one semi-final berth, there will be little time for acclimatisation for captain Ryan Watson and his side, whose competitive preparations for the domestic campaign have been limited to a four-day Intercontinental Cup encounter with Namibia and a warm-up against an MCC XI at Lord's.

"It's a challenge," admits Steindl, who was elevated into his current position four months ago from his previous role with the national under-age squads.

"The group we're in, every game is going to be a challenge - guaranteed. In terms of Lancashire, it's a quality side.

"There are some big names in there, and a guy like Freddie Flintoff coming into bowl, it's great and it going to provide a good challenge and opportunity for all our players to see where they're at."

Development is a big part of the Queenslander's vision - and with Paul Hoffman and Dougie Brown in semi-retirement, there are opportunities for younger pace bowlers to step in and mark their mark in the coming months.

Gordon Goudie, once a trainee at Middlesex, has been drafted in to face Lancashire while others wait in the wings for a summons.

The principal aim, Steindl states, is to stimulate a genuine competition for places. Will that, however, come at the expense of challenging the counties?

"We're looking at playing our best team on a game-by-game basis," he insists. "We've got a good mix in this particular game between experienced and younger players looking to develop the skills required to play at this level.

"We're just focusing on developing a style of cricket that we're comfortable with, where everyone understands their roles, and also is competitive, not only in the FP Trophy games but also in the one-day internationals that we've got coming up, and also towards the World Cup qualifiers next year."

The retirement of Paul Hoffman opens doors

"He's big on his preparation," Steindl outlines. "He's looking at being a consummate professional. And I'm hoping that's going to rub off on some of the other players in the team.

"Also, I'm hoping he'll also be able to mentor some of the younger players, teach them the ability to develop and build big innings and play smart one day cricket."

The 25-year-old opener, who has averaged almost 33 in first-class cricket, has no problem with that request.

While in Scotland, he will be helping out with the coaching programme at Scottish League side Uddingston, who he is also playing for during his stint.

"I've come here to get new experiences," Cowan says. "But I put pressure on myself to contribute and to do well.

"It's all about how you perform. I'm the kind of person who wants to go out and play good cricket. But this is what I do for a living."

As the only full-time player in Scotland's line-up, his is a lone boast. But with the English lying in wait, shirking a challenge will be prohibited under Aussie rules.

Scotland

Overseas player: Ed Cowan (Australia)

Ins: None

Outs: George Bailey (Australia), Paul Hoffman (RET)