Former SA A, Dolphins stalwart Doug Watson named Scotland interim coach

Scotland on Monday appointed former South Africa A and Dolphins stalwart Doug Watson as interim men's head coach to oversee their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Watson, head coach of male performance with the Auckland Aces in New Zealand, will take the reins on 8 April and will remain in charge until 31 July.

That period covers the 2023 Cricket World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe and the 2024 World T20 Europe qualifiers, which are being held this July in Edinburgh.

Watson takes over after compatriot Shane Burger stepped down as Scotland head coach last month after four years in charge to join Somerset.

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Former Namibia head coach Watson commented: "It's a wonderful chance for me to coach another country, and Scotland's men have been doing really well over the last four years.

"I'm looking forward to carrying on and develop the great work that Shane Burger has put in here. I know Shane well, he's worked really hard to help get Scotland to where they are, and it was great to see them lift the CWCL2 (Cricket World Cup League 2) trophy last week in Nepal.

"I know it's obviously a short period of time that I'll be in charge, but there's two massive tournaments coming up which will be tough for us, especially the Cricket World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe in June. But it's also an exciting time as well – I'm looking forward to it and it’s going to be fun."

WELCOME DOUG!Cricket Scotland is delighted to announce Doug Watson as Interim Scotland Men's Head Coach. Doug is currently Head Coach of Male Performance with Auckland Aces. He'll begin his role with Scotland on April 8.https://t.co/ZPk23U8snB#FollowScotland pic.twitter.com/LLorlsPCHx

Interim head of performance Toby