Kyle Coetzer aims to relaunch Scotland on world stage

"It's got my name out there, hasn't it?" laughs Coetzer, below. "It's something I'll never forget." He also weighed in with 42 runs that day, although this was largely overlooked as the Scots exited, as expected, at the initial stage.

This week, in the United Arab Emirates, Scotland can grasp another opportunity to pit themselves against the big-hitters. This year's World Twenty20 will be staged in the Caribbean in April and a pair of invitations remains unallocated. Hence why eight of the leading second-tier nations have gathered for the qualification tournament, which begins on Tuesday.

With the ties split between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Gavin Hamilton's men have landed arguably the toughest of the two initial groups, drawn with the omnipotent Ireland, the fast-improving Afghanistan, plus the lowly-ranked USA, inexplicably handed a wildcard to kindle the all-but-extinguished embers of the International Cricket Council's dreams of American conquest.

From that pool, two will advance to the Super Four round against the survivors of the scrap between the Netherlands, Canada, Kenya and the UAE. Unlike 12 months ago, when the Scots – despite coming third – were handed a reprieve after Zimbabwe's exclusion, it's a case of reaching next Saturday's final – or bust.

"Scotland need tournaments like the World Twenty20 to raise our profile, especially when we won't be at the (50-over] World Cup next year," Coetzer affirms. "That's the goal isn't it? To make sure we can compete with those top nations. That's what I want, to play in another World Cup."

Now 26, and the only member of the Scotland touring party with a county contract, there are not the limitless opportunities that may have seemed available when the Aberdonian opted out of the 2007 World Cup in favour of cementing his place at Durham. Short-termism paid off then. However there have been bouts of uncertainty since, episodic roles in his county's rise to the top of the domestic game interspersed with spells in the seconds and some candid self-analysis. As he strived to regain his lost place at the Riverside last summer, each trip to the crease became a personal trial.

"It became about finding a way to grind out the runs. I was hitting the ball where I was wanting it to go. I was hitting it as cleanly as I've ever done. I became happy with squeezing out the runs wherever they went. And that's what I'm trying to tie up again now."

Eventually, he won round Durham's coach, Geoff Cook. The travails must have toughened him up? "Definitely," he proclaims. "I've always been the type of cricketer who, if I'm in form, I'm firing. But if I'm out, I don't score runs at all. If you look at the best players, like Mike Hussey for example, when he's out of form, he still manages to grind out 40s and 50s."

It's a skill Scotland need to adopt in unison. Having failed to convince in last week's four warm-up 20-over ties in Nairobi, the Saltires have one final rehearsal against the hosts today in Abu Dhabi to put matters, and especially their ineffectual bowling, right.

Coetzer knows the pressure upon him but it will not weigh him down. And as a number of observers have ventured, he may yet be the next Scotland captain. "Further down the line, I would like to take more responsibility," he admits. "But I've got my duties at Durham. That's my main goal at the moment. But I feel I can pass on what I can to some of the younger guys. I've actually played a lot of cricket now. Over 50 one-day games. Over 30 first-class games. The guys hopefully look up to me now."

And now, moreso even than at The Oval, Scotland need Coetzer to conjure up some magic.