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Scotland’s Mommsen says lack of fixtures influenced retirement
- Updated: December 5, 2016
Preston Mommsen has said the dearth of fixtures in Scotland’s cricket calendar was a key factor in his retiring at the age of 29. The former captain also called for cricket administrators to create a more equitable schedule so that other players don’t end up walking away before their time too.
“What was there on a day-to-day basis to keep me motivated and keep me driven to want to keep going in the game? I was spending far more time on the training pitch and the nets and the gym than I was in between the stumps. As a professional cricketer, that was very frustrating,” Mommsen told ESPNcricinfo in a recent interview. “As with any job in whatever line of work you’re in, you need to have that sort of carrot there that motivates you. You need to have that structure.
“In the last 12 months, certainly, that’s not been there, and unfortunately, that has made my decision easier. I can’t see that pathway for me over the next 12-18 months that can keep me in and drive me forward.”
Mommsen led Scotland at the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20 in India, where they secured their first win at a major ICC tournament. However, Scotland have not played an ODI against a Full Member since March. Going further back, they had played only four ODIs with Full Members between the 2011 and 2015 World Cups.
“That we haven’t played, since the 2015 World Cup, a single Full-Member ODI, that just makes me feel sick, really,” Mommsen said. “For us, going to the 2015 World Cup was a massive turning point in Scotland’s development and we performed respectably, and you would think that would be the platform for us to kick on and make use of that experience. But there’s not been the infrastructure that has allowed us to do that.
“For me, at this age, at 27, 28, 29, when you’ve learnt your game far better than when you had done when you were 22 or 23, you want to be playing as much as possible to maximise …
