The inaugural staging of the competition begins in Thailand on Thursday as the top eight associate members go head to head.
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It also serves as a build-up to January’s T20 World Cup qualifier in Nepal, a unique opportunity for Scotland to play outside the pressurized realm of the world qualifiers.
And Slater is relishing the opportunity to play more international cricket.
“It’s really exciting,” the 23-year-old said. “We’re usually gone for a few weeks or a month and then we don’t see each other for seven, eight, nine months.
“So it’s really nice to go into this winter knowing that we will have a steady development of cricket in the World Cup qualifiers.
“It makes it more difficult in those tournaments when you don’t play cricket for eight months. So it will be good to get some games in.”
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Until this month, Scotland had not played a match since Ireland dashed their dreams of reaching the over-50s World Cup in April in Lahore.
They have beaten Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Namibia in three warm-up matches ahead of the Emerging Nations Trophy, with Slater being man of the match in the last two.
“One huge thing with the drop from full to associate members with fewer opportunities is the amount of games we play,” Slater said.
“The other teams have a full 12-month schedule of matches and training, whereas it’s not the same for the associated teams and it’s really difficult.”
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Slater is a full-time professional in Yorkshire and most of the Scottish team have deals with county teams in England but do not have the opportunity to play together frequently.
When they do, the Scots have been at a high level in recent years, reaching the last T20 World Cup in the Middle East and beating the West Indies in the 50-over qualifier earlier this year.
“So I think the addition (of the Emerging Nations Trophy) is huge,” he said. “Knowing you constantly have cricket to look forward to is huge and adds a bit more purpose to training.
“So I think it’s going to be really beneficial in the future and something we’re really excited about.”
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Fantasy football maintains the competitive advantage among the Scottish team during the long intervals between matches, as players fight to top their private league.
There was also a cold weather training camp in Edinburgh earlier this month which saw players donning hoodies and pom-pom hats at Goldenacre in Edinburgh, spending time together as a group before flying to South East Asia.
“You definitely feel a little disconnected (from international cricket) at times, but as a group of players and a group of coaches, we’re pretty big on trying to stay connected,” Slater said.
“We are used to it, but we know that we are playing very good cricket and competing with full member nations, teams that have a full schedule.
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“The fact that we can do that with limited opportunities and resources says a lot about the group we have.”
scotland team
Sarah Bryce (The Blaze), Chloe Abel (New Town), Olivia Bell (Lancashire Thunder), Darcey Carter (Lancashire Thunder), Priyanaz Chatterji (Surrey), Katherine Fraser (Durham), Ailsa Lister (Lancashire Thunder), Abtaha Maqsood (Essex), Megan McColl (Watsonian/Dumfries), Mollie Parker (Northern Counties and Grampian Thistles), Hannah Rainey (Yorkshire), Niamh Robertson-Jack (Grange and Warwickshire), Rachel Slater (Yorkshire), Ellen Watson (Leicestershire)
Scotland in the Emerging Nations Trophy
Scotland v Uganda – November 20
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Scotland vs Tanzania – November 21
Scotland vs United Arab Emirates – November 23
Scotland vs Namibia – November 25
Scotland v Papua New Guinea – November 26
Scotland vs Holland – November 28
Scotland vs Thailand – November 30