England heading north

IT was confirmed yesterday that Scotland will entertain England in an official one-day international next summer.

The third between the teams in recent years, it will take place on Sunday 12 August but, unusually, Cricket Scotland have not announced a venue for the match.

Chief executive Roddy Smith said: “It is fantastic news. They undertook to play in Scotland every second year and have been true to their word.”

The first official ODI between the sides, at Edinburgh’s Grange in 2008, was abandoned as a draw. In 2010, a 4,000-plus crowd saw Scotland lose by seven wickets despite a half-century from Kyle Coetzer. Since then England have been crowned the world’s No 1 Test team.