Scotland seek new cricket captain after legendary batsman Kyle Coetzer steps down

Legendary Scottish men’s cricket captain Kyle Coetzer has announced he will step down as skipper after today’s ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series fixture in Texas against the UAE.

The batter has enjoyed an accomplished tenure at the helm with 214 appearances for Scotland, making him Scotland’s third most capped player in history and more than half as captain.

He also hit Scotland’s first ever World Cup century, has had more ODI runs for Scotland than any other player, more wins than any other Scottish captain and in a watershed moment for Scottish cricket, captained his country to qualify for the Super 12s in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

He will remain as a player and said: “I’m so grateful to have been able to impact this group and help Scotland through this phase of cricket. I’ve certainly given it my all and I hope the players and fans also feel it’s been a positive experience. Although part of me is sad to be stepping down, I’m happy with where the team currently sits and I’m full of anticipation about what’s to come next for us all.

“Moving forward I have no desire to stop playing and will be giving everything to my fellow players and the next captain – going out and scoring as many runs as I can for Scotland remains the focus.

“We have one more game in the USA and I plan to get my head down and try to enjoy the occasion. We’ve still got points to pick up in the next couple of series and heading towards the World Cup qualifier, we want to ensure we achieve automatic qualification for the qualifying tournament, which is a real motivation for me.

“I’m extremely proud and thankful for all the efforts of my teammates and everyone who has helped along the way. It’s been a great journey so far and there’s some more exciting cricket to play yet.”

Coetzer was awarded an MBE for Services to Cricket in 2020 having captained at under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels and has 6,843 runs under his belt including 156 against Bangladesh in 2015, Scotland’s first hundred in the World Cup.

His successor will be appointed before the team’s next series in July against Namibia and Nepal.