Goudie a doubt but Coetzer in Scots squad

GORDON Goudie remains extremely doubtful to lead the Scotland attack in Saturday's one-day international against England, with a fitness test on his hamstring strain scheduled for the eve of the match.

Brighter news for Scotland patrons came yesterday in the naming of Durham's Kyle Coetzer in a 14-man squad for this second official confrontation with the nation that invented the game.

Although out of favour again with his county, the Aberdonian proved that he can bowl as well as bat at the World Twenty20 Qualifier in February and will strengthen the home side's resources at Citylets Grange.

The selectors have an intriguing decision to make about who will bat at the troublesome No4 position, presuming that Gavin Hamilton, Ryan Watson and Coetzer make up the top three.

Gregor Maiden, the 30-year-old Grange player from Paisley, Preston Mommsen, a naturalised South African who spent his final school year at Gordonstoun, and 19-year-old Middlesex prospect Josh Davey all made their ODI debuts against the Netherlands yesterday and each contributed to the score, with Maiden scoring fastest of the three after coming in at second drop.

Head coach Pete Steindl admitted that their varying assets will make the final choice for Saturday – one of them could even interrupt the established opening partnership – difficult.

"All three of those players have shown attributes we are looking for over the last two weeks and all add value in a number of different ways," said Steindl.

"There are probably a couple of positions up for grabs – one or two within the top four and one more depending on how Gordon Goudie pulls up."

If Goudie, who took five wickets in last year's equivalent fixture against Australia, does not play, Matthew Parker will assume his responsibilities and the Scots will have to decide between deploying a second specialist spinner in Ross Lyons or asking a Coetzer or a Davey to contribute at least a share of ten overs.

Mommsen and Maiden also offer auxiliary spin, as does Watson, but Maiden's athletic fielding bolsters his cause to make him a hot tip for selection.

Perhaps the most encouraging performance on the Dutch trip came from Parker, the tall, blond Dundonian 21-year-old who made his debut against Norway two summers ago and has been on trial this season at Durham.

Not only did the Forfarshire right-armer take wickets in both the four-day and one-day action, he proved his attacking capabilities with the bat, causing some to question why he did not come in ahead of wicketkeeping No7 Dougie Lockhart on Wednesday.

Lockhart's pedestrian 31 helped the Scots to a competitive total that a full-strength Dutch side would chase down with just three balls to spare, but a quicker innings – he didn't register a boundary – might have made the chase far more fraught.

This new generation of Scotland players – the red-hot Richie Berrington has passed 50 five times in eight innings this season – are making points of selection increasingly vexing for Steindl and his fellow selectors.