The Scotland women’s cricket team carries a flag with it wherever it goes.
It is a tradition that began in 2019, when all former players were given a cap. Scotland’s first women’s match took place in 2001 and the flag was signed by all the players to represent the nation.
“It’s a really special part of history,” says Sarah Bryce, vice-captain and goalkeeper of the current team. “You hear stories about how they were just trying to build the best team possible without a support structure. Then, just 20-odd years later, we are at a World Cup. “I think it’s absolutely crazy.”
Sarah, along with her sister Kathryn, have been an integral part of that process. They are both the faces of Scottish women’s cricket and also its management team. Kathryn is the captain; Sarah his deputy.
“Kari Carswell (née Anderson) was a player-coach when I started and was the number one in the squad,” reflects Sarah, who debuted at the age of 15 in 2015, while Kathryn’s first international cap came in 2011, when she was only 13 years old. “And I think it’s crazy to have literally played with someone who was in the Scotland first team.”
Sarah is only 24 years old but is a veteran of a decade of international cricket. And before flying to Dubai to play in the World Cup, remember the minibus trip to Devon to play in the County Championship.
“When I started we (Scotland) were basically Division Three,” Sarah explains. “I remember there were so many five, seven, nine-hour bus rides. We went to Devon once and you drive on Saturday, play on Sunday, come back at midnight and then go to school or work the next day.
“That’s what it looked like, every weekend, or every few weekends, traveling hours to England to play a county game against whoever was in our division.”
Qualification for the T20 World Cup it was secured with a victory over Ireland in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. A dream fulfilled by this generation, which was inspired by the previous one.
“I think I arrived at a turning point,” Sarah reflects. “A lot of this is due to Kari and that first team that invested so much in trying to create a structure. When I debuted we reached the world rankings and came fourth. “We were two games away and there was definitely a belief that we would eventually get it done.”
A series of lost qualifying events followed, turning the inevitable dream into an elusive nightmare, until Kathryn Bryce produced a player-of-the-match performance against Ireland to lead her nation to its first Women’s World Cup.
When did you understand the achievement? “It was actually a couple of days later,” Kathryn says. “I sat in a coffee shop reading an article someone had written about the team, what we had accomplished, and how amazing it was. That realization of how incredible it was for this group of girls to do what we’ve done. I was sitting there with Sarah and Abtaha (Maqsood) and it was a really special moment.”
The emotions associated with the tournament itself are mixed. Before the competition, Scotland beat Pakistan and the West Indies in warm-ups, and rumors began to spread that the rookies could spring a surprise.
A narrow loss to Bangladesh on the opening day was followed by heavy defeats against South Africa and a Windies team they had defeated just weeks earlier to end any hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
“It’s hard to know what to feel,” Sarah says. “The achievement was getting here. But as a competitive athlete, when you’re here you really want to win.
“In fact, the other day we took a moment to try to take a step back. It’s very easy to get caught up in it. We have suffered a couple of important defeats and we took it very badly, but in reality they are a very good rival and we have to learn from it.”
Before the opening match, the group held a presentation in which each player was given their official World Cup jersey and Kathryn gave a speech that was later referenced by several of her teammates.
“Before we played the first game, I told the girls that we had already created a legacy and had done something no other team had done,” Kathryn says.
“And I think it’s easy to always be looking for the next thing, and obviously we want to win cricket matches, but at the same time, if we don’t win, we’ll have already done something that no other team has done for Scotland. women and remembering that is something special.”
There is still a chance to finish your tournament on top. On Sunday, Scotland take on World Cup hopefuls England, a team they have never beaten. But if any group knows how to achieve something for the first time, it is this one.
