A stepping stone to the Caribbean

Scotland coach Peter Drinnen has said solid performances from his players at the U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka could catapult them into contention for the senior event in the Caribbean next year.

"It is all there in front of them," he said in Colombo on Monday. "They have got a World Cup now and they have possibly got a World Cup next year if they can put their best foot forward and put their names up in lights. To compete in two World Cups would be pretty special for any young player and they know that is on offer.

"If they can put together a couple of solid performances here and a solid domestic season back home then some of them will not be too far away from the West Indies next year which is pretty exciting for them," added Drinnen, who recently took over the coaching role of the senior side.

The Caribbean is, of course, in the future. In the present looms the immediate task of the Scotland U-19 side trying to compete with the hosts Sri Lanka and tournament favourites India as well as Namibia in what appears to be a very tough group for the Associate country. But far from being intimidated, Drinnen said he and his players were looking forward to the challenge those matches presented, especially their opening fixture against Sri Lanka.

"It is exciting to play the home nation, it is fantastic," he said. "Obviously they will be familiar with conditions and that is the biggest advantage they can have but we do not feel extra pressure. Everyone considers Scotland as underdogs and that is a fantastic title to have. We will look after our game, prepare very well and if the players do the jobs asked of them then I think we will put up some strong opposition."

"I do not know whether the pressure is on Sri Lanka or us," added Kasaim Farid, Scotland's captain. "It is obviously big to be here and play India and Sri Lanka but all we can do is to take each game into consideration. Sri Lanka are the ones who have got to perform in front of their home crowd so it balances both ways."

Scotland's biggest problem, even before they lock horns with two of the tournament's big guns, is in adapting to conditions which are about as different from back home as it is possible to find. "It's quite simple," said Farid as he reflected on that difference. "Scotland is cold and Sri Lanka is hot - that sums it up."

Drinnen said the players had been training hard since September in an attempt to get ready for the heat and humidity and four of them - Farid, Richard Berrington, Gordon Goudie and Sean Weeraratna - had also spent 12 weeks at the ICC Winter Training Camp in South Africa. But he said the players would have to come to terms not only with the high temperatures but also the pitches, which are totally different to those they are used to in Scotland.

"We have played one practice match and I thought we dealt with that quite well although the bowlers toiled more than the batsmen," he said. "It is a case of finding the right length to bowl and that is something we are exploring."

One potential weakness in the Scotland line-up is their lack of a top-class spinner, which could be a crucial handicap in conditions that traditionally favour that style of bowling. "Our spinners are still learning, as are our seamers," said Drinnen. "They have to come to terms with conditions quickly but if they [the spinners] can adapt I think they will do a very fine job."

Drinnen said pushing allrounder Goudie (who is on the playing staff with English county Middlesex) up the batting order to fill a pinch-hitting role was a possibility. "It is an option although I do not see Gordon as a pinch-hitter," he said. "He may go up the top of the order and if he does he will play his game. The way he plays is pretty aggressive and he can get us away to a pretty positive start. I think he is a bit better than a pinch-hitter but it is an option and one we may well look to use."

Scotland open their campaign with a match against Sri Lanka on Sunday before facing up to India on February 8 and Namibia the following day to complete their Group C commitments. The top two sides from each of the four groups in the tournament will progress to the Super League stage, which consists of knock-out quarter- and semi-finals and a final on February 19.

Scotland squad Kasiam Farid (capt), Robert Cannon, Richard Berrington, David Bill, Tyler Buchan, Gordon Goudie, Andrew Hislop, Moneeb Iqbal, Scott MacLennan, Calum MacLeod, Aamir Mehmood, Umair Mohammed, Rajeev Routray and Sean Weeraratna.

Manager - Tino Weeraratna, Coach - Peter Drinnen, Asst. coach - Andrew Lawson, physiotherapist - Andrew Raselli.

The ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup 2006 will take place between February 5 and 19. 16 teams are scheduled to play 44 matches in 15 days at five different venues in Colombo.