Cricket: Drummond wary of rivals

SCOTLAND'S cricketers begin their bid to qualify for the World Twenty20 in Abu Dhabi tomorrow against the United States with vice-captain Gordon Drummond admitting that the road to the Caribbean is paved with uncertainty and potential upsets.

With just two remaining spots up for grabs for the Caribbean showpiece in April, the initial group stages are set to test the new-look Scotland line-up with Afghanistan and Ireland standing in the way of a place in the Super Four stages at the end of the week.

Gavin Hamilton's men received a boost with a 16-run win over Kenya in their final warm-up game yesterday. However, with none of the main contenders imposing themselves in the lead-in to the tournament, Drummond believes everything is up for grabs.

"What we learnt over the last few games is that two or three overs can change it for either side," the Watsonians star said. "We saw that against Kenya where two or three times, we moved up to hitting 15 an over and it turned the momentum. That's a massive thing in Twenty20."

Scotland coach Pete Steindl watched the inexperienced Americans take a one-wicket win over the UAE last night and despite their lack of pedigree, Drummond is expecting an awkward opener. "Every team is dangerous," he said. "The USA is a little bit of an unknown."