Scotland arrived in Pretoria today to begin week long preparations before their Intercontinental Cup game against Kenya at Nairobi. Veteran Dougie Lockhart and Majid Haq are keen to play major roles in the game and they spoke to Cricket Europe while waiting in transit at Dubai.

Dougie, this is a very young Scotland team. How do you think they'll handle the conditions in Kenya?

I'm sure they'll be fine. If you said Mombassa, then that's a different story. The last time we were in Mombassa most of the team were severely ill with food poisoning and it was hot - hotter than anywhere else I've ever played.  Nairobi is a lot cooler and the facilities at the Gymkhana Ground are top quality. It’s a wonderful place to play cricket.

All the youngsters are fit and ready to go, they just have to believe in their ability at this level. Guys like Euan Chalmers will learn a lot by playing in these conditions. It's a very exciting time for me to be involved. I'll be the old wise man the youngsters can turn to if they need help with anything.

Maj, the last time you played at the Gymkhana Ground in Nairobi, you bamboozled the Kenyan's with your off spinners. Have you got any more tricks up your sleeve on this tour?

I'm expecting the pitch to turn a bit. It did in 2007, so I hope the conditions will be similar. I know I'll have a massive role to play, especially in the second innings. I'm one of the senior players in the team now, so I want to take that next step up and lead by example.

I've been working on a couple of different deliveries, I've perfected my "moon" ball and the "delayed action" ball, while my new mystery ball will be unveiled in this game. I've used it to great effect in the nets over the winter. Fraser Watts could never pick it! I'm hoping the Kenyan's will find it just as tough as Fraser!

Dougie, you've played the Kenyan's many times during your distinguished Scotland career, who do you think it their danger man?

Stephen Tikolo. The man's a legend in Kenya. He's nearing his 40's but is still a very classy batsman who averages above 50 in first class matches. Kenya will look for Stephen to provide solidarity in their middle order, so our bowlers need to be on top of their game when bowling to him.

The Obuya brothers, Collins and David, are also quality players. Like Scotland, Kenya have chosen a mostly young, inexperienced team, so they’re a bit of an unknown quantity.

Finally Maj, you were the standout bowler for Scotland in 2009, but you didn't do yourself justice with the bat.  What role do you see yourself playing with the bat and what have you done over the winter to help improve this area of the game?