Eyes on skies for Oman clash

OUT with the calculators and set up a hotline to the Met Office. Everything is up for grabs as the Scottish leg of the ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers boils up to a climax today with just about every possible permutation of finishing positions still possible for five of the seven teams in the pool. Everything from top spot to elimination is possible, though Afghanistan are realistically the best placed since their final pool match is against Canada, who have yet to win.

Scotland could still top the pool if they claim victory and other results go their way, but could also go out of the competition. Winning the pool brings the advantage of automatic qualification for the world event in India next year; coming second or third gives those sides two bites at winning their way through; fourth faces a single winner-takes-all clash; fifth or worse is eliminated.

To be secure in going through to the knockout phase in Ireland next week, Scotland must beat Oman, the tournament’s surprise package.

If Scotland do win, they finish in the top three, and could go top, especially if the weather plays ball. The forecast suggests it may be a lot worse in Stirling, where Afghanistan are due to play Canada at the same time as Scotland are playing at Goldenacre. If the Afghan match is rained off, and Kenya do not beat the Netherlands in the afternoon game in Edinburgh then Scotland would overtake both.

On the other hand, if the Afghan match goes ahead and produces the expected result then the best Scotland can manage is second and they could be pushed down to third if Kenya also won – though there is little significant difference between second and third when it comes to the next round.

The doomsday scenario is if Scotland lose and Holland pick up a point for a rained-off match or two for playing and winning. That would push Scotland down to fifth.