Kyle Coetzer, the former Scotland captain, has announced his retirement from cricket with immediate effect. The 38-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best Scottish players, has already accepted a coaching role that is set to commence this week. Coetzer made his debut almost two decades ago and finished his career as the highest run getter in the 50-over format for his country with 3192 runs including five centuries. Among those five hundreds was the one he scored in 2015 as he became the first Scottish player to register three figures in a World Cup game. Having led Scotland for a long time, Coetzer stepped down from his role last year. The highlight of his reign came in 2021 when he led Scotland into the Super 12 stages of the T20 World Cup.
Coetzer, who was named the ICC Men's Associate Cricketer of the Decade in 2020, finishes his career on a high after Scotland lifted the ICC CWCL2 Trophy in Nepal last month. "I don't ever think there's a perfect time for a decision like this, but I've been considering my options for some time, and an opportunity came up which was too good to turn down," Coetzer said. "The chance to move straight into the performance game isn't always there, and I'm fortunate that this opportunity opened up for me at this moment and I can take it on."I've been so lucky throughout my Scotland career, that it's tricky to pick out a highlight. Getting our first win in the ICC T20 World Cup against Hong Kong in India in 2016 was special....but then so was the whole of 2018. The victory against England at The Grange was just amazing. That whole year - Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, England - just felt like a change of momentum and belief amongst the players about competing against the best teams in the world. Reaching the ICC T20 Super 12's in 2021, having never achieved it before, and being the captain of that squad, will also always stay with me."
