Kyle Coetzer - sportstiger

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Scotland men’s team captain Kyle Coetzer has announced retirement from T20Is with immediate effect. Coetzer resigned from his captaincy role last month and handed over the reins to Richie Berrington. He struggled in the T20 World Cup last year as he averaged 12.00 at a strike rate of 102.43 and will now be included in the squad but only for the one-off ODI.

"After considered discussions with Cricket Scotland and the head coach, the team would gain more from someone else playing in the upcoming T20 fixtures and the subsequent T20 World Cup," Coetzer said. "It was a pleasure to take part and lead my country in the previous World Cup and help Scotland qualify for this year. It was a real driving force for me to continue helping the team in any way that I could", he further added.

"From a personal point of view, I am looking forward to having a bit more time to spend with my family with two young daughters while also focusing on my coaching career and having more time for that. But ultimately, it is about what is best for the direction of the team going forward," he continued. 

In Scotland's squad for the New Zealand series, Kyle Coetzer will be replaced by debutant Michael Jones. The 24-year-old was Durham's leading run-scorer in the T20 Blast this season while averaging 26.58 with a strike rate of 140.52. He has played eight ODIs between 2018 and 2019.

Shane Burger, Scotland's coach, talked about the upcoming New Zealand series and said, "We certainly respect a team like New Zealand but we don't fear them. We are excited to see our players play against one of the best teams in the world in Scotland and get our home fans around at the Grange, and it would be great to see as many fans down there as possible."

Scotland squad for New Zealand series: Richie Berrington (captain), Matthew Cross (wk), Kyle Coetzer (ODI only), Ali Evans, Chris Greaves, Oliver Hairs, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, Gavin Main, Chris McBridge, George Munsey, Adrian Neill, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt