Lack of play stunting Scotland, says Preston Mommsen

Preston Mommsen scored over 1,000 runs for Scotland in one-day internationals

Former captain Preston Mommsen fears Scottish cricket is being hindered by a lack of matches for the senior international side.

The 29-year-old surprisingly announced his retirement from cricket on Monday to take up a job in property finance.

Mommsen had latterly led the side, having played for the national team since 2010.

"I found myself not playing enough and felt that stunted our development," Mommsen told BBC Radio Scotland.

"The cricketing landscape is such that the opportunities have been quite limited in the last 12 months."

Scotland last played in September and had 19 scheduled matches across all competitions in 2016 - less than half that of England.

Mommsen believes more must be done to enhance cricket for those countries outside the Test arena.

Scotland play far less frequently than the Test nations

"It is a slight concern," he said. "I think the ICC has made efforts to address this. I know recently we just won some funding.

"It needs a lot more collective effort from the member countries around the world to make sure that the game does continue to grow globally.

"We've made some fantastic strides in recent times and there's no reason why we can't keep growing as a national side."

Cricket Scotland declined to comment.

Former Leicestershire batsmen Mommsen was named associate cricketer of the year in 2014 and was the first Scotland captain to lead his side to victory at a global event, beating Hong Kong at this year's ICC World Twenty20.

"It is disappointing to be leaving," he said. "You could argue that, at 29, you're coming into the prime of your career. On one hand, I guess it is bitter-sweet for me.

"I know I could've given a lot more to the game and I would've loved to have given a lot more but I need to keep one eye on my second career, post-cricket."