SCOTLAND v AFGHANISTAN - Intercontinental Cup final
Venue: Dubai International Stadium Date: 2-6 December
Coverage: Live streaming on Cricket Scotland website.
Scorecard and daily reports on BBC Sport website

Gordon Drummond captains Scotland on the quest for glory in Dubai

Scotland will be aiming for a second Intercontinental Cup victory when they begin a five-day final against Afghanistan in Dubai on Thursday.

The Scots won the inaugural tournament for non-Test countries six years ago.

Gordon Drummond skippers the side, while Kyle Coetzer, Fraser Watts and Gregor Maiden are the only survivors from the successful 2004 squad.

Batsmen Ryan Watson and Moneeb Iqbal are unavailable due to work commitments and Ewan Chalmers is sitting exams.

Afghanistan start as strong favourites, having topped the qualifying section with ease.

Along the way, the Afghans enjoyed a 229-run victory on their visit to Ayr in August, although the honours were shared in two one-day matches at the same venue.

"After a long, hard season of cricket which started last January in Kenya, the final will be an excellent opportunity to finish on a real high," said Scotland coach Peter Steindl.

"This group of players has worked exceptionally hard to reach the final and we will prepare thoroughly for the hard challenge that we know Afghanistan will pose.

"They have been the dominant team in this competition to date, but we are confident we can compete well against them."

Gordon Goudie and Matthew Parker are certain to open the bowling attack in Dubai, with Drummond and Richie Berrington offering back-up.

The batting order is harder to predict, with only the experienced Watts assured of a place among the openers.

"We will wait and see what the wicket is like and pick the team we believe has the best chance of winning the match," Steindl told the Cricket Scotland website

"The guys know what to expect from Afghanistan after the game in August, but we felt we failed to do ourselves justice in that game, so I don't think it will have any bearing.

"As always, I want the guys to go out and execute their skills, play to the plans and see where it takes us."

Scotland secured their place in the final with a walkover victory against a Zimbabwe XI.

Steindl's team had refused to visit Zimbabwe for the 26 September fixture, following government advice. Zimbabwe refused to play at a neutral venue and decided to forfeit the fixture.

The Scots have been warming up in the Dubai sunshine since 23 November, while Afghanistan reached the final of the Asian Games earlier this month, losing to Bangladesh.

"The silver medal has inspired us to try even harder in the International Cup final," said off-spinning all-rounder Mohammad Nabi.

"We want to play as much as possible, wherever possible. The aim is to join the big league.

"It is the passion for the game and our country that keeps us going.

"Cricket is the fastest growing sport in our country with many thousands of people playing the game or following it on radio and TV. Cricket is now the biggest peaceful movement in Afghanistan."

Scotland squad: Gordon Drummond (capt), Fraser Watts, Ryan Flannigan, Kyle Coetzer, Preston Mommsen, Richie Berrington, Neil McCallum, Gregor Maiden, Majid Haq, Matthew Parker, Ross Lyons, Simon Smith, Gordon Goudie and Dewald Nel.

Afghanistan squad: Nawroz Mangal (capt), Karim Sadiq, Asghar Stanikzai, Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shinwari, Shapoor Zadran, Shabir Noori, Shehzad Mohammadi, Aftab Alam, Batin Shah, Abdullah Mazari, Mohammed Nabi, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammed Sami Agha, Afzar Zazai, Najeeb Zadran, Gulbodin Naib, Khaliq Dad Noori.

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