This is what Scotland have been waiting for, their first World Cup and the opportunity to show that they are not a bad bunch of cricketers north of the border.

They qualified for the tournament the hard way, beating Ireland in the 3rd/4th place play-off match in the ICC Trophy in Malaysia two years ago.

From the moment the raucous celebrations ended, Jim Love, the former Yorkshire county cricketer and long-time Scotland coach, was planning for this World Cup.

There are two county cricketers in the squad, John Blain - the Northamptonshire seamer who at 17 was the youngest player this century to have turned out for Scotland - and Yorkshire's Gavin Hamilton.

Hamilton's situation is an intriguing one. Qualified (at the moment) for both England and Scotland, he was included in England's provisional 30 for the World Cup.

In Scotland there were dark mutterings, especially as they rightly expected Hamilton to be omitted from England's final squad.

Keeping faith with their man, they announced only a 14-man squad themselves, keeping Hamilton's seat warm for him. Sure enough, England found no place for him in their final 15 and Hamilton went back to his roots.

Actually, it briefly raised the profile of Scottish cricket and Hamilton can still play for England at a later date (though from the moment he does he will no longer be able to turn out for Scotland).

Hamilton will get most of the publicity - and he is a good, young allrounder - but there are others who can make a difference.