Scotland gain extra T20 preparation in UAE

Scotland will play T20Is against UAE and Netherlands in Dubai as part of their preparations for the World T20.

The matches on February 4 and 5 will take place as Scotland head home from their current tour of Hong Kong. They will also face a County XI - expected to be an amalgamation of cricketers who will be in the UAE at the time - ahead of the two T20s with that match being played under floodlights.

Grant Bradburn, the Scotland coach, said: "The players have prepared so well over the winter months and we have also tucked away some excellent preparation in Abu Dhabi, so the team is now ready to play. The three fixtures in Dubai will allow all players some game time to command selection in the playing 11.

"These games also allow us as a squad to establish our first-choice combinations aligned to each opposition and the conditions we might face. As a team we are looking to build upon the major strides Scotland took in 2015 in the T20 format."

Scotland will begin their World T20 campaign against Afghanistan in Nagpur on March 8, before fixtures against Zimbabwe and Hong Kong as they aim to qualify for the main part of the tournament.