Kyle Coetzer announces retirement from T20I cricket

Former Scotland skipper Kyle Coetzer has announced his retirement from T20Is on Thursday, 21st of July. The Scottish cricketer had stepped down from his captaincy role last month and has now decided to step down from T20I cricket altogether ahead of the T20I series against New Zealand.

Coetzer endured a horrid run with the bat in the T20 World Cup last year in the UAE. He was averaging a meager 12 at a dismal strike rate of 102.43. The veteran cricketer has been replaced in the T20I squad to face New Zealand next week by Michael Jones. The batter is back in Scotland colours following a prolific stint with Durham in the recently concluded T20 Blast, averaging 26.58 at an impressive strike rate of 140.52.

The veteran cricketer thanked the fans for their support and admitted that representing his country in the previous World Cups gave him immense pleasure. He also went on to say that the team would benefit from the inclusion of a player who can contribute more significantly than him, and he will continue to help the team in any which way possible.

“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. 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,” Coetzer was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

We respect New Zealand but we don’t fear them: Shane Burger

Scotland have qualified for this year’s T20 World Cup, and the team’s head coach has revealed that while the players respect a distinguished team like New Zealand, they won’t be afraid of the Kiwis and would love to see home fans gathering up to cheer the team in the upcoming encounters against the Black Caps.

“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,” Shane Burger, Scotland’s coach, said.