Kyle Coetzer, the former captain of Scotland, has ended his long and successful international career by saying that he will stop playing international cricket right away. After becoming a new coach for a women’s team in England’s domestic circuit, this was a big change. Since making his international debut against Pakistan almost 20 years ago, Coetzer has been at the forefront of the growth of the Scotland team on the international stage. He has also helped make some magical memories along the way.
The ICC’s Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Decade Coetzer led Scotland at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman in 2021. Over the years, Coetzer has been a big part of cricket in Scotland. He has scored the most runs for Scotland in ODIs and scored his country’s first century in an ICC Men’s World Cup game against Zimbabwe in 2015. Coetzer was an inspiring figure in the Scottish camp. In 2016, he led Scotland to a memorable victory over Hong Kong in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup. This was Scotland’s first victory ever in any ICC tournament. He was given an MBE for services to cricket in the year 2020.
Coetzer led his team at the U15, U17, and U19 levels, including at the 2004 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh. When Gordon Drummond gave up his position as captain in 2013, Coetzer took over. After being captain for 110 games in all formats, Coetzer stepped down as captain in May 2022, after their tour of the United States.
“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. The balance that the Scotland team need at this time was outweighed by the opportunity for me to move into coaching, and I’m extremely excited about the chance to work with such a high-profile team. Reaching the ICC T20 Super 12s in 2021, having never achieved it before, and being the captain of that squad, will always stay with me,” Kyle Coetzer said in a retirement announcement through Cricket Scotland.
After he hangs up his bat and ball, the famous Scottish cricket player will start his career as a coach. His first job will be to help coach the Northern Diamonds women’s team in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup, which are both played in England. The 38-year-old former cricket player starts his new job this week, as the Diamonds team heads to Spain for preseason training.
