Scotland have been scheduled by the ICC to meet Zimbabwe in Kenya in January 2007 in a three-team tournament ahead of the Cricket World Cup. It is likely to be a fixture that causes anger in the UK and further afield among those opposed to the Zimbabwean government of Robert Mugabe.

For Cricket Scotland, the national giverning body, it may well be an unpleasant introduction to the world of sporting politics. Although the Scottish Executive will probably not intervene, a Foreign Office spokesman has already indicated that the fixture would prove highly controversial.

"We would prefer that such matches did not take place. We made that clear to England but we haven't yet spoken to Cricket Scotland on the issue. But ultimately the decision lies with the relevant sporting body."

Scottish Parliament member Margo MacDonald, who is also the patron of Edinburgh Cricket Club, is strongly opposed to Scotland playing the match.

"I'm very sympathetic to the members of the team who want to take part when Scotland is half-way through the door of the big breakthrough, but some things are bigger even than cricket. There's the old clich� about sport having nothing to do with politics, which allowed the Scottish football team to play in the Santiago Stadium in Chile in the 1970s when it had been used as a centre for torture. That excuse is now absolutely redundant and I don't think the Scottish team should play Zimbabwe."

Craig Wright, the current Scottish captain, is aware that some of the Scottish players might prefer not to play but feels that, as the match will be outside Zimbabwe and Scotland need it as part of their World Cup build-up, there is a case for it to go ahead.

"Once the schedule's been absolutely rubber-stamped, we'll seek the advice of the Scottish Executive and the Foreign Office. We're keen to play teams which are just above us in the world rankings, and because this tournament isn't in Zimbabwe itself, it poses a different question than if it involved touring there.

However, his vice-captain Ryan Watson who was born in Zimbabwe and is opposed to the Mugabe regime, believes that political considerations are of lesser importance than the players' need for meaningful experience. He commented:

"From a selfish point of view, it's going to make Scotland better and that's how we're looking at it."