Scotland women set for their own World Cup adventure as cricket’s leading lights converge on England for T20 showpiece

Steve Clarke’s footballers aren’t the only Scots preparing to embrace the bright lights and glamour of a World Cup.

A lot closer to home and to somewhat less fanfare, the women’s national cricket team are also getting ready to grace the global stage for what will be their second appearance at a T20 World Cup.

If their debut bow two years ago in the United Arab Emirates was an arduous venture into the unknown, then familiarity breeds contentment ahead of this one.

Not only is it taking place just across the border — Scotland will play their Group B matches at storied cricketing institutions including Old Trafford and Headingley — but there are also no first-time nerves this time around for the majority of a settled squad.

Eleven of the 15 selected by head coach Craig Wallace were also part of the 2024 journey and they have been joined by another experienced figure in spinner Kirstie Gordon — returning to the Scotland fold after years in the England set-up — and three promising prospects in Gabriella Fontenla, Maisie Maceira and Pippa Sproul.

The task facing Scotland at this 12-team World Cup is still a daunting one, with matches against traditional powerhouses England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies plus old rivals Ireland in a six-team group from which only two progress to the semi-finals.

The build-up has gone well, with a successful first home series in four years followed with warm-up wins over the Netherlands and Pakistan. Wallace is astute enough not to make any rash predictions but believes his squad is better equipped now to cope than they were two years ago.

‘It feels very different this time,’ said the former Scotland international. ‘I think last time we, myself included, didn’t really know what to expect and were maybe a bit like, “Oh, we’re at the World Cup, this is amazing” sort of feeling. It’s not like that now because I feel we just deserve to be here. It’s like a normal tournament for us now.’

Vice-captain Sarah Bryce admits the team didn’t do themselves justice two years ago and hopes they can put that right.

‘I think if we’re being honest, we didn’t perform as we’d like to have and we’re a little bit disappointed with that,’ she reflected. ‘Maybe we got overwhelmed by the occasion a little bit, but there are a lot of things that we can take from that and hopefully put right this time.’

Home comforts won’t be too far away either this time. Fourteen of the squad play their club cricket in either England or Wales and are au fait both with the venues and many of their opponents. The match versus the Auld Enemy on June 20 is one already circled on many calendars.

‘I’m super excited for that game,’ added Bryce. ‘It’s going to be amazing and hopefully it’ll be a great atmosphere as well. We know a lot of the England players, whether we’ve played with them or against them, and it should be good fun. It’s definitely a game that we’re looking forward to.

Scotland captain Katherine Bryce is confident her side can put on a good show in England

‘Hopefully with Scotland being so close, there’ll be a few people that are able to make their way down to watch. It’ll be amazing if we can have a bit of support from home. And maybe if the English want to support us when we’re not playing against England, that’d be great too.’

The return of Huntly-born Gordon to the Scotland fold is a significant coup given her experience and tournament knowhow, having represented England at the 2018 World Cup. At 28 years old, she is one of the more experienced figures in a squad that also includes 20-year-old Maceira and two 18-year-olds in Fontenla and Sproul.

‘It’s been great having Kirstie back,’ added Bryce, a team-mate of Gordon’s with the Blaze. ‘She brings so much experience and knowledge of the game that she can share. She just has a great passion for the game. I’m sure when it comes to those crunch moments, that experience is going to be invaluable.

‘She’s been great getting around the group and in among the youth as well, trying to get down with their lingo. But it’s a completely different language these younger ones speak. You can’t understand them,’ added the 26-year-old.

Fontenla only turned 18 at the start of this month but is already garnering attention for the menace and pace of her seam deliveries. And Wallace would have no hesitation about pitching the Yorkshire bowler — or the other younger pair — into the heat of a World Cup battle.

‘If they’re good enough they’ll play, definitely,’ he confirmed. ‘Their age doesn’t really come into it. If they’re playing well and they can help the team then why would you not play them?’

The 12 T20 captains line up ahead of the tournament’s opener, which takes place today

The spectre of the football World Cup will loom large over every other event over the next month, here in Scotland especially. But Wallace hopes that a ‘home’ cricket World Cup broadcast live on TV will also get a bit of attention.

‘Our message from the start of the summer has been that there will be a lot of eyes on us in a good way and we have to get the world to almost fall for us,’ he added. 

‘It’s a big summer for Scottish sport and hopefully the football team does well too. Maybe the whole country can just watch sport on TV all day.’