Injury forces Machan to retire, aged 26

Scotland and Sussex batsman Matt Machan has been forced to retire at the age of just 26 due to an ongoing wrist injury.

The left-hander, who played in the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20 for Scotland, missed the second half of the 2016 English domestic season to have surgery on what his Sussex coach Mark Davis labelled a "repetitive" wrist injury.

But going under the knife failed to alleviate the problem and Machan has been forced to call time on his career.

Machan will be best remembered as Scotland's match-winner in their breakthrough victory against Hong Kong at the World T20 last year; the left-hander scored 15 from just four balls including a six to finish the match to hand Scotland their first major victory at a world event after 17 years of trying.

"It is with great sadness and an extremely heavy heart that I have to announce my retirement from the professional game due to a wrist injury," he said in a statement.

"Following medical advice, my long-term health is most important to me and I have to take that into account.

"I believe as a batsman I was only just starting to come into my own and it is a real shame that this has been cut short so early as I believe I had so much still to offer Sussex over the next few years."

Machan is the latest cricketer in his mid-20s to announce a shock retirement this year; Surrey and England allrounder Zafar Ansari called time on his career in April aged 25 while NSW batsman Ryan Carters farewelled the game in May at the age of 26.

Machan had been with Sussex since he was 10 years old and qualified to play internationally for Scotland through his mother.

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He made his international debut in 2013 and played 36 matches across One-Day and T20 Internationals, scoring 1141 runs with six fifties and one century.

While just eight of Machan's 23 ODIs came against Full Member nations, he did show promise against the world's best; he made scores of 56 and 40 respectively against eventual finalists New Zealand and Australia at the 2015 World Cup, top-scoring on both occasions.

He retires with more than 2000 first-class runs to his name at 33 with five centuries as well as almost 3400 runs across List A and T20 cricket, with two hundreds and 17 fifties.

"Matt has been part of Sussex Cricket since he was 10 years of age, and it is sad that we will not see Matt continue to develop and deliver his talent on the pitch," said Sussex Director of Cricket Keith Greenfield.

"His passion for the Club has always been clear and we wish him well with the next stage of his life."