CLARENCE Parfitt admitted he will experience an emotional tug-of-war when his native Bermuda square up to his adopted nation Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup clash this week.
And Parfitt, who has played for both countries, warned the Scots that they should underestimate the hosts at their peril when the action gets under way in the island's capital of Hamilton on Thursday.
The encounter is the first part of a double-he
ader, the visitors then heading for Toronto and the tussle with Canada.
Scotland cannot now win the event, but coach Peter Steindl rates the trip as vital in terms of developing fresh talent.
And from the viewpoint of Arbroath-based Parfitt, the perfect result would be a tie over the four days. He said: "Like Scotland, the Bermudans are going through a rebuilding phase at the moment, but there are very positive signs.
"They have just triumphed in their ODI series with Canada and they have two or three new lads who look as if they are the business.
"The bottom line is that the Scots would be foolish to treat them lightly in any way and it is going to be fascinating to see how the less experienced lads in both teams can rise to the challenge of operating at this level."
On Scotland's crop of new stars, featuring Qasim Sheikh, Richie Berrington and Gordon Goudie, Parfitt said: "They got their heads down against New Zealand in very, very tricky circumstances up at Mannofield.
"They put up a decent fight, but the conditions were stacked against them. I would have hated to bat out there because the ball was doing so much it was almost talking."
When put on the spot about who he reckons will come out on top in Hamilton, Parfitt said: "No comment – absolutely no comment!"
Coach Steindl added: "It is great to be moving into two weeks of four-day cricket with a pretty young side who have the chance to show what they can do.
"The great thing about the ODI games against Ireland and New Zealand is that we've blooded three youngsters in two really big games. They now have the chance to go into a different cricketing environment and show that they have benefited from the experience."
Steindl and his selectors have opted to leave a host of established names behind in Scotland – keeping them as fresh as possible for the major matches later this month and next.
The absentees include squad skipper Ryan Watson, Mannofield centurion against Ireland Gavin Hamilton, Glenn Rogers and John Blain.
In addition, former captain Craig Wright is sidelined with a troublesome back.
Steindl said: "Although Scotland cannot now win the I-Cup itself, we will take these matches seriously, and the players know that they represent an excellent platform for their talents.
"For our own ranking in the global game, we aim to win both matches."
Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland's chief executive, added: "It is vital that we build strength in depth among our international squads – particularly with next year's World Cup qualifying tournament in mind."
Blain, meanwhile, believes the positives from last week's mixed fortunes at Aberdeen far outweigh the negatives.
The paceman stressed: "For us, the Ireland encounter was far, far more important than the New Zealand one – and the fact that we beat the Irish was a tremendous bonus.
"As things stand, we are never going to be upsides with sides like New Zealand and it would take something exceptional for us to compete with them.
"The likes of Ireland and Holland are the countries we will be measured against and so it is vital that we do the business against them."
The full article contains 616 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
