SCOTLAND will complete their World Cup preparations with two dress rehearsals against their group rivals Afghanistan, writes William Dick.
Preston Mommsen's men will also undertake a one-day international double-header against Ireland during a two-week trip to the United Arab Emirates next month.
The games have been arranged hastily to replace a scheduled tournament in the West Indies which was scrapped because of the turmoil currently enveloping Caribbean cricket.
Cricket Scotland this week announced a provisional 24-man World Cup squad and will trim that to 15 for the tour to Dubai.
Andy Tennant, the Director of Cricket, said: "The UAE tour is a crucial part of our planning and preparation ahead of the World Cup and the opportunity to play four ODIs allows our squad to have even more exposure to competitive international cricket prior to the tournament."
The Scots will fly to Dubai on January 4 before heading to Sydney at the start of February where they will face Ireland again and West Indies in official warm-up matches. Their World Cup campaign begins against the co-hosts New Zealand in Dunedin on February 17 while their Pool A meeting with Afghanistan, also in Dunedin, takes place nine days later.
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