Afghanistan

After a whirlwind three years Afghanistan will see this tournament as a chance to show that they are the team to beat in the non-test world. Their passion and spirit has become the stuff of legend and the versatility of their line-up is the envy of many of their competitors. In Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran they have the quickest and most hostile pace attack in the tournament and in the absence of Ryan Ten Doeschate Mohammed Nabi is the most accomplished all-rounder on display. The batting is brutal one day but brittle the next. They are certainly capable of setting unassailable targets but injudicious shot selection has proved their undoing in the past. Captain Nowroz Mangal and diminutive wicket-keeper Shahzad will have to provide the platform for the destructive disdain of their fellow batsmen. Whatever the Afghans do it will be dramatic. They don't do dour.

Canada

Canada seem to have stood still while other teams have progressed. Frequent chopping and changing of the side has not helped and they must look to play a settled side to give themselves a chance of playing to their potential. The class of captain Ashish Bagai will be complimented by the irrepressible urgency of Rizwan Cheema. The steady hand on the tiller will be provided by the wily veteran Dhaniram, who is a middle order accumulator and run-choking spinner, supported by senior seamers Khurram Chohan and Umar Bhatti. Although Canada should be given credited for elevating a higher percentage of players from their under 19's their graduates need to meld promise with performance. Baidwan, Hiral Patel and Nitish Kumar have shown glimpses of talent but need to start turning in match winning performances.

Kenya

After a senseless strike that almost scuppered the tour the Kenyan players will have to show some character to retain their WCL crown. There is no doubt that the absence of senior batsman, Steve Tikolo, and senior bowler, Peter Ongondo, will make this task doubly difficult. The Kenyan player pool is shallower than most and some of the fringe players have looked anything but international class. However, in Maurice Ouma and Alex Obanda they have two dynamic batsmen and Nehemiah Odhiambo and Hiren Varaiya are more than capable with the ball.  The fitness of Thomas Odoyo, the ebullient all-rounder, will be crucial as will the continued development  of young hopes Rakep Patel and Elijah Otieno. The Africans have experience on their side but perhaps lack the cutting edge they had four years ago. Expect them to be committed but a little way short of competitive.

Netherlands

The loss of talisman Ryan Ten Doeschate is a crushing blow for the Dutch and denies them their match-winning dynamo.  With Kervezee's participation limited by county commitments and the premature retirement of Edgar Schiferli the Dutch have had to recruit some fresh faces. One such is the promising 23-year-old Australian based batsman Tom Cooper, who has impressed in the pro 40 campaign. The growing maturity of Szwarcynski and Borren's good run of form will also help to cover for Ten Doeschate's absence. The most improved Dutchman is Mark Jonkman who has blossomed into an incisive opening bowler. However, he will need Bukhari to be more penetrative of late to help break top order partnerships. Peeter Seelar, the highly thought of left arm spinner, is struggling for form and therefore the performances of fellow tweakers  Mohammed Kashif and Adeel Raja could prove critical. The Dutch will be competitive, particularly with home advantage, but to put it plainly the loss of their match winner will lead to them winning fewer matches.

Scotland

The Scots have been shambolic over the last few years. Missing a place in the world cup and only retaining ODI status by a whisker means they have everything to prove. The complete collapse of form and confidence of Ryan Watson has been alarming and the batting in general has lacked dynamism. The answer, it seems, lies in youth. All-rounder Richie Berrington has been in prolific form and much is expected of Matthew Parker, Ewan Chalmers and Preston Mommsen. This is a side being reshaped with the world cup in mind but the loss, due to injury, of spinner Majid Haq will be a major blow. They are also without county contracted Dewald Nel, Josh Davey and Kyle Coetzer. This could be the stage for a long overdue resurgence for the Scots.