Coetzer in swift return as selectors deny a rift

Scotland’s selectors have given former captain Kyle Coetzer an instant recall for the World Twenty20 qualifying campaign and insisted there had been no rift between the player and team management. The 31-year-old Aberdonian was the significant omission to the squad announced on Monday. Cricket Scotland selectors claimed it thought Coetzer wanted a break from national team duty while he concentrated on securing a loan move to another county. The Northants allrounder, who has recently agreed a loan move to play one-day cricket for minor county Suffolk, was less than impressed by the decision to ditch him for the qualifying tournament and said: “I was hugely disappointed. “I believed I had a great deal to offer Scotland in all three formats of the game and I am immensely proud of my overall record with them. I am their leading run scorer in the Twenty20 format, I have played Twenty20 at World Cup level and I was in the Northants side that won the Twenty20 championship in 2013.” Scotland coach Grant Bradburn had highlighted the importance of giving young, Scotland-based players the chance to perform at international level but now red-faced Cricket Scotland officials have claimed Coetzer’s omission had been caused by a communications mix-up. A spokesman said: “We believed we were acting in Kyle’s best interest by not selecting him and allowing him to concentrate on securing his future in county cricket. “This was based on conversations with the player before the squad was submitted to tournament organisers in Dubai, to meet the ICC deadline requirements. “Having since discussed this with Kyle, he clearly believed if he was unable to secure a county loan deal through July, he would be included in the Scotland squad. “We have met with Kyle to clarify the situation. We wish to state there is no rift between the player and the organisation.” In what the spokesman described as a coincidence, Warwickshire player Freddie Coleman has withdrawn from the squad due to personal circumstances, with his place going to Stoneywood-Dyce product Coetzer. Scotland will host the qualifying tournament’s Pool B, with Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Holland, Canada, Kenya and Oman competing in a roundrobin contest between July 9 and July 18. The leading four teams will go up against the best teams from Pool A – being staged in Ireland – to play for the six final qualifying places for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in India.

TON UP: Scotland’s Kyle Coetzer celebrates after scoring a century during the World Cup match against Bangladesh in March