Craig Wright's career has been linked umbilically to Scottish cricket's growth from obscurity to prominence since the turn of the century. The man who now bears the burden of responsibility, Gavin Hamilton, led the tributes yesterday after the all-rounder cut the cord.

Wright failed to earn selection for the 1999 World Cup and responded by carrying the remains of the national team through a watershed decade characterised by progress, acclaim and adversity. Captain for more than five years, had his tall frame not refused so frequently to cooperate with his ambitions Wright would have far exceeded the record 194 caps he takes into retirement.

Now the 35-year-old leaves his beloved team nursing various ailments of their own, not least a paucity of experienced seam bowlers after a spate of injuries and the desertion of John Blain. But the World Twenty20 was their last high-profile mission of the summer, save for a one-day date with Australia in eight weeks' time.

Wright, who will continue playing for Greenock, felt compelled to give more to his day job as performance development manager for the governing body. Scottish cricket is his thing, it has consumed most of his life's energies so far and if he can ready compatriots to thrive in an increasingly dynamic game, it will make him just as satisfied as lifting ICC silverware in 2004 and 2005.

"I was disappointed when he told me his decision but I understand exactly where he is coming from," Hamilton told The Scotsman. "We are certainly going to miss him but you can't take anything away from what he has done, both performance-wise and what he has done for Scottish cricket.

"I missed the first five years of Wrighty's captaincy because I was away with Yorkshire, etc, but I've always been quite impressed at how he handled himself. He's a good leader and a good role model for youngsters.
"He's in a prime position to lead young guys into the game now and you can tell from his passion that he has always had Scottish cricket at heart. I will keep in very close contact with him because talent identification will be key to us going forward."

As Hamilton knows, healing broken reputations could take time. Unless Blain can be coaxed back, Scotland have lost their two most prolific seam bowlers in the space of a fortnight - and neither was past it.

At the World Cup Qualifier in South Africa, the Scots failed in spite of Wright's unstinting economy with the ball. His team finished the tournament sixth, narrowly escaping international cricket's equivalent of Gulag, yet he ended up with the shiny return of 16 wickets, earned at a cost of 13.62 runs apiece and with an economy rate of 3.41.

Back home in spring he returned to work with the youths and only played twice for the Saltires, but on both occasions troubled county batsmen - with the new ball, of all things - and against Warwickshire he took 2-28 and hit 28 off 19 balls. There will be days in the near future when Hamilton pines for his reliability.

"He was a player who liked to keep things simple and that approach served him well. His radar in terms of bowling was second to none, and he was a useful batsman coming in at No 7 and hitting a few shots," said the captain.

"It was only a matter of time this year before he called it a day and it's just a shame it ended on a low in terms of our performance. I had hoped to have him around for another year to ease the younger guys through, but it wasn't to be."

Except at club level, Wright's pace was never an asset but he produced enough accuracy, bounce and swing to account for dozens of distinguished batsmen, including Ricky Ponting at the 2007 World Cup. His record in 20 one-day internationals (bowling average 22.86 and a clean 16 with the bat) speaks volumes. A hard-hitting 40 against India in Glasgow two years ago was another highlight of an extraordinary period of service.

"It has been an immense privilege to have represented my country in a sport I love over the past 12 years, and I am extremely proud to have had the honour of captaining the side during that period," Wright said