Scotland opt for youth in Hussain

Omer Hussain, the 23-year-old left-hander, has been called up to Scotland's squad for their Intercontinental Cup matches against Bermuda and Canada.

Hussain, the cousin of Majid Haq, adds youth to the squad and he arrives in good form after averaging 62 for his local club, Ferguslie. His stand-in captain, Ryan Watts, is insistent that the presence of some younger faces is by no means for show.

"The lads who have come in aren't just being given an opportunity for the sake of it - they're the ones who have been producing the goods at club-level and for Scotland A as opposed to being in on potential this time," Watts told the Scotsman. "Form has played a big part in selecting the 13-man squad and the likes of Gordon Goudie [West], Qasim Sheikh [Clydesdale] and Richie Berrington [Greenock] all represent the new wave of talent."

Scotland are still reeling from their thrashing by New Zealand, when they were hopelessly outclassed by eight wickets.

"New Zealand are ranked No. 3 in the world and for Scotland to have had a chance of winning meant everything going our way," Watts said. "Instead, right at the outset they won the toss and put us in on a wicket where we'd have fancied our chances of applying some pressure early on if roles had been reversed.

"It wasn't to be, but there were positives from the tri-series, particularly the win over Ireland, where Gavin Hamilton hit fifty and then kept going on and on, past his century mark."

Scotland's match against Bermuda begins on July 10.