England to face Scotland in ODI

Ryan Watson will be hoping he is still Scotland captain when they face England next year © Getty Images Enlarge

England will play their first one-day international against Scotland on August 18, 2008 after an agreement between the two boards. Another match is penciled in for 2012 depending on Scotland's continued ODI status.

Cricket Scotland looked at the possibilities for hosting the game in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. The decision to play the match in Edinburgh was based on the capacity of the ground - 6000 - the strength of the capital's corporate hospitality market and the overall requirements of the board's spectator base and corporate partners.

Also part of the deal is the continued participation of Scotland and Scotland A in the English domestic game and the boards and also agreed to ensure the compatibility of television contracts for the two countries. Earlier this year the ECB had a run-in with the Irish Cricket Union after they arranged the matches against India and South Africa because the ECB felt it impinged on their TV rights.

Cricket Scotland will in due course announce venues for Scotland's other international matches next year, including the ODI against New Zealand, which will be one of a tri-series of three ODIs also involving Ireland.

"We are very lucky now in having two international venues capable of hosting big spectator matches, one in Edinburgh and another in Glasgow," said Scotland's chief executive Roddy Doyle. "The decision to play the match in Edinburgh was taken after consultation with our partners, sponsors and supporters. It will be a fantastic event, with an anticipated sell-out crowd of 6,000. I am sure the Scottish cricketing public's appetite for the game will be huge.

"The detailed planning for the event is already under way, with tickets on sale early in the new year. But already we have received a significant number of bookings from the corporate sector, and we expect a lot more."