Players have say in Doug Watson appointment as interim head coach for Scotland men’s cricket team

Former Namibia coach Doug Watson has been appointed interim head coach of the Scotland men’s cricket team – with the players given a say as part of the recruitment process.

Currently head coach of the Auckland Aces, the 51-year-old South African will start work with Cricket Scotland on April 8 and is contracted until July 31. During his period, Scotland will compete in the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe and in the 2024 World T20 Europe Qualifiers, which are being held in Edinburgh in July.

“I’m thankful to everyone at the Auckland Aces for allowing me to pursue this opportunity,” said Watson. “It’s a wonderful chance for me to coach another country, and Scotland’s men have been doing really well over the last four years.

“I’m looking forward to carrying on and develop the great work that Shane Burger has put in here. I know Shane well, he’s worked really hard to help get Scotland to where they are, and it was great to see them lift the CWCL2 trophy two weeks ago in Nepal.

Auckland coach Doug Watson will take temporary charge of Scotland from April until the end of July. Picture: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

“I know it’s a short period of time that I’ll be in charge, but there’s two massive tournaments coming up which will be tough for us, especially the Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in June. But it’s also an exciting time as well – I’m looking forward to it and it’s going to be fun.”

Watson brings with him a wealth of experience and success across all levels of cricket. He played first-class cricket in South Africa for 15 years and was head coach of Namibia from 2012 and 2015. He’s also worked with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, the Wellington Firebirds in New Zealand, and was head coach of Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland. He became Auckland head coach last June, signing a three-year contract. Last month, he stepped in as batting coach for the New Zealand Test squad during their series against England.

Cricket Scotland’s interim head of performance, Toby Bailey, said: “We conducted a very thorough hiring process and looked at around 45 candidates. We wanted someone who’d been previously involved with coaching smaller teams, with Associate Cricket, with experience of World Cup Qualifying competitions, with knowledge of top-level cricket, and with experience of Zimbabwe. Doug really fits the bill in all those cases.”

He added: “We had some of the men’s players on the interview panel, which I think was important for them to be involved with, so that they had some buy-in as to who will be coaching them for the next four months.”