Scotland battle to overcome illness

Scotland are struggling to overcome illness and injury as they prepare for their opening game against Ireland in the World Cricket League.

Paul Hoffmann, in his BBC diary, has admitted that the squad have yet to recover from the stomach virus they contracted in Mombasa and which caused Canada to forfeit their recent ODI against Kenya.

"We still have a few players and members of the coaching staff down," he wrote. "Glenn Rogers, our left-arm spinner, could be struggling to start our opening fixture and that's a shame because in his last start against Canada he took 2 for 22 off 10 overs. Our other left-arm spinner, Ross Lyons, is suffering from severe cramps, fitness coach Andy Jackson has been bed-ridden for the past three days, while Ryan Watson and myself are still making impromptu dashes to the rest room with irregular bowel movements, but a couple of tablets before the start of play should sort that out."

Hoffman said the side was fit and had trained at Nairobi Gymkhana yesterday and today in preparation. "Like a boxer before a world title fight, we are all on edge and totally focused. We know that if we each play to the best of our ability and trust our sporting instincts, everything else will fall into place."