Kyle Coetzer is already considered a legend by many for everything he achieved for both Scottish and Associate cricket. Now it’s official.
The former Saltires captain retired from the international stage in March to focus on a new coaching role with the Northern Diamonds, keeping the door ajar to returning to play some T20 franchise cricket over the winter.
Now the Aberdonian batter has been handed an even more appealing route back into playing, drafted for the latest edition of the Legends League Cricket tournament that begins this week across India.
Sporting events of this nature often involve guys way past their best being persuaded to squeeze into their kit one final time but that isn’t the case here with many, like Coetzer, having not long left behind the cut and thrust of international action.
A stellar cast is spread across six teams. Coetzer’s Manipal Tigers are captained by the Turbanator himself, Harbhajan Singh, with team-mates including New Zealand’s Colin de Grandhomme, Corey Anderson and Mitchell McClenaghan. So does this make him officially a legend?
“I don’t know about that, I’m just blagging it!” he jokes modestly. “There are some incredible names in there and just to be in the mix is pretty cool. I knew these tournaments have been on the go for a while now and over the last few years they’ve been picking up a bit.
“I had plans to keep playing in some of the smaller franchise tournaments this winter but this is the one that was top of the list. Fortunately enough I got drafted and asked to come along which was a bit of a shock as I didn’t really have it on my radar, to be honest.
“I was on the phone to William Porterfield [the former Ireland captain] asking him what it’s like and he said it’s fairly competitive as some of the guys are still playing a lot of cricket. But I’m expecting it will be fun, too.
“I played against Harbhajan a couple of times when I was with Durham and he once taught me a lesson. I turned down a single off him that would have taken me off strike and I then got out a ball or two later. He approached me afterwards to say, “you should have taken that single!”
Coetzer’s last T20I appearance came two years against Pakistan in the 2021 World Cup and he has been hastily fitting in some batting practice to get up to speed.
“I’ve been panic training to get myself back to some sort of level!” he admits. “I’ve not really had a proper hit since February [his final one-day international for Scotland] so I’ve been training down at Durham. One day Matthew Potts was there getting in shape for a possible England tour and he asked if I fancied a bat so I faced a few deliveries from him.
“But I’m feeling really good. My theory over the last few years has been just to chuck myself in at the deep end whenever I’m under-prepared. And if I survive that then I can definitely survive when I’m prepared.”
Coetzer has played in India before on Scotland duty – most notably at the 2016 T20 World Cup – but this is a tournament hosted by some of the country’s less frequented cities, including Jammu in the disputed Kashmir region in the far north.
“I think that’s one of the exciting things about it,” adds Coetzer enthusiastically. “It takes these amazing cricketers who’ve all had great careers into places across India that they maybe haven’t been to before. It’s going to be an interesting life experience as much as anything.
“India is such a cool place and it will be nice to see some new spots. Jammu is quite far up north and I’d imagine it might get chilly up there. I’ve been told the tournament has been well organised in the last few years so I’ve no real safety concerns. I’m sure we’ll be well looked after.”
Coetzer retains a keen interest in the fortunes of the national team who remain in limbo without fixtures in the diary or a permanent head coach. Scotland’s men's team haven’t played since the end of July when they secured a place at next year’s T20 World Cup and Coetzer feels for his former team-mates.
“To see how well the team has performed since I stepped away has been really special,” he adds. “The likes of Brandon McMullen and Jack Jarvis have really stepped up. The hardest thing in Associate cricket, though, is never knowing what your schedule is going to look like.
“Everything always appears to be last minute. That’s got to be frustrating for the guys, not knowing any fixtures and not having a head coach in place.
“Cricket Scotland just needs a bit of stability. They need to get some good people in – which they’re obviously trying to do – who have the right understanding of the dynamics that are required for professional sport in an organisation like that. And hopefully then they can start building for the future.”
