Kyle Coetzer steps down as Scotland's captain: Details here
Top-order batter Kyle Coetzer has called time on his captaincy career for Scotland. Coetzer, 38, led Scotland in 110 off his 214 appearances. His last outing as a captain was against UAE on Friday. He scored 10 off 13 deliveries. Scotland (171) eventually lost by five wickets. Notably, Coetzer was adjudged as the ICC Men's Associate Cricketer of the Decade (2011-20). Here's more.
"It's been an absolute pleasure to lead this group through various stages in our growth and development and captain my country and I will look back on the time with such fondness," Coetzer said in a statement. "I'm extremely proud of where we have got to and I'm even more excited with where this team can go to under its next leader."
As a captain, Coetzer hoarded 1,829 runs in 45 ODIs while averaging 42.53.. He compiled 846 runs in 41 T20Is with five half-centuries. Overall, he has 2,877 runs in 73 ODIs. He has five tons and 20 fifties, including 156 against Bangladesh in the 2015 World Cup. That was Scotland's maiden hundred in an ODI World Cup. He holds 1,495 runs in 70 T20Is.
As per Cricket Scotland's press release, the team will take a call on Coetzer's successor ahead of their Cricket World Cup League 2 series involving Nepal and Namibia in July. Coaches, senior players, and Toby Bailey, Scotland's interim Head of Performance will have a say in that matter. Later, Scotland will face NZ (two T20Is, one ODI) followed by matches against UAE and USA.
In 2019, Coetzer was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) on account of his contributions to cricket. Notably, he became only the third Scottish cricketer besides Jimmy Brown and George Goddard to have received an MBE in cricket.
Coetzer has the most wins as a Scottish captain. He has led Scotland at the Under-15, 17, and 19 levels. In 2013, he took over the captaincy from Gordan Drummond. He led Scotland past the qualifying rounds in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. The 38-year-old is Scotland's highest run-getter in ODIs. Notably, he is the third-most capped player in Scotland's cricketing history.
