Watson named as Scotland skipper

Watson is likely to encourage an attacking style of cricket

Ryan Watson has been confirmed as Scotland's new captain following the resignation of Craig Wright.

Watson, a hard-hitting batsman, was born in Zimbabwe but lives in Dundee and has played for Scotland since 1996.

He will lead the side against English county sides in the upcoming Friends Provident Trophy and the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup later this year.

"It's a nice time to take on the role because there are some exciting times ahead," the 30-year-old commented.

"There will be some new cricketers coming through over time and it's about overseeing that change. I will try to pick up where Craig left off, bring in some of my own ideas and hopefully achieve the same level of success."

Wright decided to step down following the team's exit from the World Cup in the Caribbean, where they were beaten by Australia, South Africa and the Netherlands.

Watson led the team in the game against South Africa because Wright had to return home for a family funeral and Scottish Cricket chief executive Roddy Smith said at the time that he could not see "anyone other than Ryan Watson" taking on the job.

Qualification for the Twenty20 World Cup was achieved by reaching the final of the ICC World League in Kenya earlier this year, but Scotland will again face tough opposition as they have been drawn in the same first round group as India and Pakistan.