Former Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer retires from T20 international cricket

Former Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer has retired from Twenty20 international cricket.

Coetzer, who stepped down as captain last month after 110 games in the role, will continue to play one-day internationals.

The decision comes less than three months before the start of the T20 World Cup.

The 38-year-old will face New Zealand in a 50-overs game next week but will not play in the two T20 matches.

The Aberdonian said: “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.

“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.”

Durham’s Michael Jones has been added to an 18-strong Scotland squad along with Oliver Hairs and Craig Wallace.

The Laser Book Bilateral Series kicks off at the Grange in Edinburgh with T20 games on July 27 and 29, with a one-day international following two days afterwards.

Scotland head coach Shane Burger said: “We certainly respect a team like New Zealand but we don’t fear them.

“The opportunity this brings right now is for us to test our skills against a really good skillset coming back at us.

“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.

“This is a team that knows that they can go on to beat Full Members as we have shown recently, and is a fantastic preparation for the T20 World Cup later in the year.”