Beat of the Drummond

'A NEW season. New beginnings." It's as much a statement of intent as of the obvious from Gordon Drummond, Scotland's caretaker captain and the man entrusted with shepherding an inexperienced side through this week's four-day Intercontinental Cup tie with Kenya in Nairobi in the temporary absence of Gavin Hamilton.

With the qualifiers for the World Twenty20 barely two weeks away, the tone was set the moment the team landed in Pretoria last Monday for a short training camp. Drummond's credo, quite deliberately, differs little from the nonsense-free demands laid down by the first-choice skipper.

"I'm trying to stamp my authority on the squad, letting the guys know how I want things done," the 29-year-old assuredly confirms. "We know what we're trying to do here. There are short-term goals but there are also long-term goals in what we're trying to establish. Gavin and I do sing from the same hymn sheet. So do the other senior players."

About time too, some might argue. The major flaw in Scotland's approach in South Africa 12 months ago, when they failed to qualify for the 50-over World Cup and barely retained one-day international status, was they were a side that arrived on their biggest stage in search of form rather than basking in it. The African odyssey – which includes a triangular 20-over tournament next week against the Kenyans and Uganda – is designed to ensure there is no repeat of this history.

Re-discovering the winning habit is essential, Drummond admits. Although Hamilton is among a group of established performers who will belatedly join the tour next weekend, those such as Stuart and Euan Chalmers and Mathew Parker who will make way will be asked to underline that they are as much part of the present as the future.

"We have a tough task with all bar one of the games this year away from home," concedes Scotland coach Pete Steindl. "But we're looking forward to that. For me, it's about providing challenging opportunities for the players and through that we'll find the players who have got the fight and skills to take us forward."

If the Australian is prone to a touch of managerial-speak, Drummond is quick to translate. "It's just important to be winning," he underlines. "If you get that momentum going, it's a plus. When you're winning, you have a happy camp and it's a better place to be. We're setting our sights on winning every game and on doing well in every tournament. As captain, this four-dayer is going to bring a lot of young guys on and help their development. But it's about the result."

Currently lying second behind Scotland in the I-Cup standings, Kenya are likewise aiming for rejuvenation after their fall back into the pack of cricket's second-tier nations. "Both teams have a lot to prove," Drummond adds. "Although we're both at the top of the table, we're far from finished articles. We need to go out and show we can play well in different tournaments. Our two games so far in the I-Cup have been in our own backyard so we're determined to show we can cope with an alien environment."

While Alistair Cook's understudying of Andrew Strauss in Bangladesh will afford England's management an opportunity to test their captaincy succession plans, there is little evidence that Drummond is being road-tested for the role. Coaching, he says, might be more his forte, having enjoyed his spell at the helm of Carlton before stepping down due to the heavy schedule of the national side this year.

A surprise choice as Hamilton's deputy, his spell in charge against the Irish and Canadians last summer nonetheless did much to cement his place in the line-up, scoring a half-century against the latter and bowling efficiently against both. Vitally, there was no sense that he was out of place as the first among equals.

"You're always learning," he says. "I've done a little bit of captaincy before at club level and I hope I understand the game. But it's more about understanding your players and how to get the best of them out on the park. And knowing how they might react in different situations. That's the kind of stuff I'm learning more and more.

"I've got decisions to make next week and I need to make sure they come at the right time because that's the key. The biggest thing I've found is having to give support to the other players. I need to be there at all times, especially on tour."

The education will only come with practice and performance. At the beginning of a new chapter for Scotland, Drummond, the stand-in, hopes also to stand out.

Scotland (from): Drummond (capt.), Berrington, Coetzer, E Chalmers, S Chalmers, Goudie, Haq, Lockhart, Lyons, Nel, Parker, Sheikh, S Smith.

Scotland tour of Kenya. Intercontinental Cup (Nairobi, 4 days). Monday 25: Kenya v Scotland.

Twenty20 Triangular (Nairobi). 31 January: Uganda v Scotland. 1 February: Kenya v Scotland. 3 February: Uganda v Scotland. 4 February: Kenya v Scotland.