Scotland's cricket captain, Preston Mommsen, hangs up his boots at 29

Preston Mommsen, Scotland’s cricket captain, has announced his retirement from the game. At just 29 years of age and when most cricketers are looking to blossom on the playing field, Mommsen has decided to look elsewhere while citing a “"very exciting and attractive opportunity in the corporate world".

The right-handed batsman and off-break bowler played 42 ODIs for Scotland while scoring two hundreds and six fifties at an average of 32.38. In T20 cricket, he featured in 24 internationals for Scotland and scored 419 runs at an average of 34.91 with two half-centuries.

Incidentally, Mommsen doesn’t possess Scottish ancestry. He was born in Durban and played rugby and cricket through school. He even represented South Africa in U-19 cricket. A scholarship in rugby and cricket took him to Scotland in 2006 and he stayed back thereafter. After a four-year mandatory qualification period, he was picked to play for Scotland. In 2012, he even had a stint with Leicestershire.

Mommsen steadily progressed through the ranks in the team and when Kyle Coetzer sustained an injury, the captain’s mantle for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers passed on to him. Through that campaign, Mommsen distinguished himself by aggregating 520 runs at an average of 86.66 and was named ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year.

In a statement earlier today, he thanked his supporters and well-wishers. “I would like to thank everyone involved at Cricket Scotland, both past and present, for giving me the opportunity to fulfil my dreams and supporting me on my journey. I am enormously proud of what we have achieved over the last few years, and I have no doubt that the team and the organisation will continue to grow its presence on the global stage in the future.

"I leave the team in a very healthy position with a world-class management setup and a group of players that are demonstrating the skill and hunger to push Scotland cricket into the top 12 in the world. I would like to wish both the team and the organisation all the very best," he added.

In 2013, an unfortunate pelvic injury prevented him from featuring in Scotland’s World T20 qualifying campaign. Incidentally, Scotland failed to qualify for the main tournament.

However, his scintillating performances through 2014 ensured that he remained captain despite Coetzer’s return. He led Scotland in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and the 2016 World T20 in India.