Former England Test player Gavin Hamilton has retired from professional county cricket and is to return to Scotland. Hamilton played one Test for England in South Africa in 2000-01 - he came to prominence as a result of his performances for Scotland in the 1999 World Cup and laos played for his native country in the recent ICC Trophy in Ireland. Scotland's victory in that tournament means that Hamilton will almost certainly play in a second World Cup, in the West Indies in 2007.

Hamilton played six seasons with Yorkshire before moving on to Durham for a further two years. He currently works on a part-time basis as a sales representative for Caledonian Breweries, for whom he is now expected to work full-time in Scotland.

A delighted Roddy Smith, the Chief Executive of Cricket Scotland, welcomed the news of Hamilton's likely return to Scotland:

"While we did not know exactly when Gavin was going to announce his retirement from the professional game, he has kept us in touch with what was going on and we will endeavour to speak to him as soon as possible."

"It would be a great boost for Scottish cricket if Gavin plays for us and I do recall him telling me that when he finished as a pro he would be happy to continue with Scotland. His experience and talent would be invaluable to Scotland, especially with the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies only two years away."