Scotland's I-Cup opener against Afghanistan hit by rain

Scotland lost by one wicket to Afghanistan at the World Cup with three balls to spare

Scotland's opening Intercontinental Cup clash with Afghanistan has been reduced to three days, with Tuesday a complete wash-out in rainy Stirling.

The winners of the Associate-member tournament will play the tenth side in the Test rankings in 2018 for the chance to step up to the top level.

The Afghans have beaten Scotland in their three previous I-Cup meetings.

Scotland also lost to Afghanistan in a thriller at this year's World Cup in New Zealand.

New Williamfield is hosting a first class fixture for the first time but heavy overnight rain and more in the morning made play impossible on day one, with the umpires calling it a day at 15:30 BST.

"We are really looking forward to the challenge of facing Afghanistan in our backyard, at the start of what is a hugely important competition," said Scotland captain Preston Mommsen on the eve of the tie.

"We will, for the first time, have the chance to push our case for Test match cricket."

Former captain Kyle Coetzer is unavailable for the hosts, along with Ruaidhri Smith, Matt Machan, Josh Davey and Rob Taylor, while their could be a debut for South Africa-born Con de Lange.

Scotland (from): Preston Mommsen (captain), Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross, Freddie Coleman, Con de Lange, Alasdair Evans, Hamish Gardiner, Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, Gavin Main, Safyaan Sharif, Andrew Umeed, Mark Watt

Afghanistan (from): Mohammad Asghar Stanikzai (captain), Mohammad Javed Ahmadi, Mohammad Yamin Ahmadzai, Mirwais Ashraf, Izatullah Dawlatzai, Nasir Jamal, Nawroz Mangal, Mohammad Nabi, Shabir Noori, Mohammad Shahzad, Hashmatullah Shaidi, Sami Ullah Shinwari, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Rahmat Shah Zurmati.