Hamilton named Scotland captain

Scotland have named Gavin Hamilton, their most experienced player, as the successor to Ryan Watson, the former captain who stepped down this week in the wake of his team's failure to qualify for the 2011 World Cup.

"The selectors assessed all our available options for the captaincy," said Ian Kennedy, Scotland's chairman of selectors. "It was important that the captain is sure of his place in the side and has the experience to drive forward the rebuilding process of the Scotland team, which will take place over the next couple of years.

"We are lucky to have someone of Gavin's vast experience to lead the side through this next phase. Succession planning is a key for the longer term, and in Fraser [Watts] and Gordon [Drummond] we have two excellent deputies who will support Gavin and take over at times when he is unavailable to ensure they gather as much international captaincy experience as possible."

Hamilton was one of the few Scotland batsmen to show consistency in the recent ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, but his elevation to captaincy at the age of 34 underlines the difficulties Scotland are facing in appointing a long-term successor. Hamilton, who played for England on their 1999 tour of South Africa, is unquestionably experienced - he has played in two World Cups - but his appointment would appear to be a stop-gap until someone younger is groomed. Gordon Drummond and Fraser Watts have been named as his deputies.

"'It is a great honour to be asked to captain Scotland and it is a challenge I am looking forward to enormously," Hamilton said. "We are in a rebuilding phase and Peter Steindl and I know we have to give a number of players international experience over the next couple of years. However, we have a fantastic and important summer of cricket ahead and it is vital we put in some good performances in the next few weeks.

"I am delighted that in Gordon and Fraser we have a couple of people who can grow into the captaincy role and I am excited about working with them to move our team forward.''