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EDINBURGH. — March 14, 2015 — that’s the last time Scotland had an opportunity to play a Full Member in an ODI.

That day, in Hobart, they came across the World Cup hosts Australia, who were on their way to storming to a fifth title.

The scarcity of Full Member versus Associate scheduling outside of World Cups has been a recurring theme over the years, further cemented in recent times by the inclusion of just two Associates — Ireland and Afghanistan — on the current 2019 World Cup 12-team qualification rankings table.

Despite having ODI status, Scotland’s exclusion from that table is a great impediment to facilitating matches, unless a Full Member desperate for game time is willing to throw them a bone. But that’s exactly the situation Zimbabwe find themselves in at the moment. The last time they played a fellow Full Member was in November for an ODI tri-series against West Indies and Sri Lanka.

Unable to qualify for the Champions Trophy and with no Full-Member fixtures on their plate until a tour of Sri Lanka in July, they’ve followed the lead of West Indies in soliciting offers for competition from the ICC’s second-tier members in the first half of 2017.

The first one was taken up by Afghanistan, who toured Harare for a five-match ODI series in February. Next came Namibia and Canada, whose lack of ODI status meant that a Zimbabwe A side in name only — the majority of first-choice Zimbabwe players suited up — took on the two nations in four 50-over matches apiece in April and May.

Now Zimbabwe has taken their Associate scheduling spree to Europe. While the ICC’s showpiece men’s tournament is conducting its knockout stage in England and Wales, Zimbabwe will be a few hours further north in the United Kingdom, taking on their keen hosts in the first of two ODIs.

On paper, these matches are part of Zimbabwe’s final preparation — which also includes three one-dayers in the Netherlands — ahead of their Sri Lanka tour, which will include one Test and five ODIs.

For Scotland, it’s an opportunity to show that their seven-wicket trouncing of Sri Lanka in an unofficial one-dayer less than a month ago in Kent was no fluke.

This is the first time Scotland and Zimbabwe will play each other in an ODI and the hosts may draw inspiration from fellow Associate Afghanistan’s win in their maiden ODI against West Indies last Friday, not to mention Afghanistan’s multiple series wins over Zimbabwe in the last two years.

Sean Williams starred in Zimbabwe A’s recent series against Canada, scoring an unbeaten 114 on May 18.

Though these sides have never played an ODI against each other, they have come up against each other twice in the ICC World Twenty20.

Williams scored a key half-century in the most recent contest at Nagpur in 2016 as Zimbabwe held off Scotland by 11 runs. — Cricinfo.