Pete Steindl, the Saltires coach, will give his players one last chance to earn a starting berth in Sunday's game against Afghanistan when they play their final warm-up match today.
He has watched his new-look team lose by seven runs to the UAE Blues in Sharjah and bounce back to thrash the same opposition in Abu Dhabi. The action moves to Dubai today when Steindl may again use most of his 15-man squad. It is a final chance to assess the balance of the side before the T20 double-header against the Afghans back at Sharjah.
The Scots seem to have riches aplenty in the new-ball department where Neil Carter, Safyan Sharif and Iain Wardlaw have all impressed. Carter, the former Warwickshire all-rounder, marked his first appearance for the Scots by claiming four wickets in Sharjah while Clydesdale's Sharif was just as impressive in Tuesday's match. Yorkshire paceman Wardlaw, meanwhile, has bowled with genuine pace in both matches.
Steindl said: "The guys are making selection difficult which is what I want. We have genuine competition for places and we may take a chance to look at most of the players again in the final warm-up game. Every one of the 15 squad members is working to an individual plan and we will continue to assess them all.
"A number of factors will come into consideration when we select for Sunday. We will have played on three completely different wickets, so the conditions in Sharjah will be a factor. We have also been concentrating on next week's 50-over games rather than the T20s which are first up."
One area of concern for Steindl may the form of his top-order batsmen, none of whom have made a major score. Kyle Coetzer and Matt Machan have both recorded half-centuries while Preston Mommsen hit 48 in the opening match but none went on to dominate.
Following the T20s, the Scots play the most important games of their tour on March 6 and 8 when they face the Afghans again in the 50-over World Cup qualifying tournament.
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