A change in eligibility rules meant that Matt Machan, who has a Scottish mother, qualified to play for Scotland in 2012. He promptly proved his worth by scoring a century against Kenya in only his fourth ODI. With powerful batting at number three and useful offspin, Machan played an important part in Scotland's run of seven consecutive wins in the World Cup Qualifiers in New Zealand at the start of 2014, securing their ticket to the 2015 World Cup. While it was not an official ODI, Machan's 83, from 86 balls, against a powerful New Zealand XI in October 2014 provided further notice of his ball-striking talent.

A product of Brighton College, Machan has played Sussex age-group cricket since Under-13s. He played his first second XI game for Sussex aged 15 in 2006 but the left-hander had to wait five years for his Championship debut, which he marked with 71 against Nottinghamshire.

It was in the 2013 season that Machan became established in the Sussex side. He made his maiden first-class century against Somerset at Taunton and played a starring role in Sussex's Yorkshire Bank 40 team, averaging 64.25. He was rewarded with Sussex's Young Player of the Year award in 2013, and a new contract. He consolidated his growing reputation with some useful performances in 2014, and a career-best 135 followed against Worcestershire in Sussex's relegation season in 2015, but his successes gradually shifted to the limited-overs formats with even the attractiveness of Division Two attacks bringing him little success in the Championship.

Machan is also a qualified personal trainer and a fan of greyhound racing.
ESPNcricinfo staff