The Scotland Women’s squad has been confirmed for the forthcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in UAE.

Kathryn Bryce will lead a squad of 15 players looking to reach a Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time. The tournament will take place in Bangladesh later this year.

Ten teams will compete for two qualifying places during the Global Qualifier, with Scotland in Group A alongside Uganda, Sri Lanka, USA, and Thailand.

Scotland Squad
Kathryn Bryce (captain) Blaze
Chloe Abel Middlesex/Tasmania
Sarah Bryce Blaze
Darcey Carter South East Stars
Priyanaz Chatterji South East Stars
Katherine Fraser Northern Diamonds
Saskia Horley Sydney Thunder/New South Wales
Lorna Jack Grange
Ailsa Lister Thunder
Abtaha Maqsood Sunrisers
Megan McColl Watsonians
Hannah Rainey Thunder
Nayma Sheikh West of Scotland/East Kilbride
Rachel Slater Northern Diamonds
Ellen Watson West of Scotland/Clydesdale

The squad fly to UAE on 7 April ahead of a busy period of preparation and a series of warmup matches, including two ODI fixtures against Papua New Guinea and USA in Dubai, followed by T20 internationals against USA, Netherlands, and UAE in Abu Dhabi.

Two official ICC warmup fixtures against Ireland and Zimbabwe will precede the start of the Global Qualifier on 25 April, which runs until 7 May.

Interim Women’s Head Coach Craig Wallace will lead the coaching team, assisted by Leigh Kasparek and Joe Kinghorn-Gray.

Steve Snell, Cricket Scotland Head of Performance, said: “We’ve got a depth of talent across the squad which is hugely exciting. There’s a number of players with significant experience in T20 competitions around the world, and from our perspective I think that’s really pleasing.

“It was great to see Kathryn Bryce play so well in the WPL recently and show that she’s at the forefront of women’s cricket around the world. Her performances were a credit to her and her family, as well as Scotland, and now she re-joins us for the Qualifier where her talent and leadership will be so crucial.

“The players will be mindful of the opportunity that lies in front of them. At the same time, they will no doubt speak on how to just focus on the next ball and stick to the present and not too much into the future, but that’ll be a challenge with the prize that’s on offer.

“I feel this is a really strong squad full of all-round talent, and it’s been quite a challenge to select it. In particular it’ll be fantastic to see Saskia Horley back in a Scotland shirt, as it’s been a while since she played with us. During the winter she put in some terrific performances for New South Wales so we’re delighted to welcome her back into the fold, and she can be a real difference maker for us.

“We’re without Abbi Aitken-Drummond who’s unavailable due to being on parental leave, which is something that of course we greatly support. She’s devastated to miss out, but she’ll be cheering on the team from back home.

“Orla Montgomery, we felt wasn’t ready to return as she hasn’t had the volume of cricket yet after injury to be able to put her best first foot forward in terms of selection, while Niamh Robertson-Jack has unfortunately suffered an ACL knee injury that will rule her out of the tournament, so we’re devastated for her.

“That said, I do feel we’ve got good strength in depth and a lot of talented players across the system, so the squad is really well positioned to give it their best crack in the qualifier.

“It’ll be a really busy period for our players. The opportunity to play in ODIs against Papua New Guinea and USA and further our ODI ranking is a good one and gives our players a good chance to play more 50-over cricket.

“The T20 internationals ahead of the Qualifier will be hugely important for our preparation. We haven’t had a huge volume of cricket this year, just a trip to Desert Springs, while some of the players have been away for preseason with their counties, so it’s really important they get match time in T20 cricket before the competitive action starts.”

Scotland Fixture Schedule
12 April Scotland v Papua New Guinea ODI Dubai
14 April Scotland v USA ODI Dubai
16 April Scotland v USA T20i Abu Dhabi
17 April Scotland v Netherlands T20i Abu Dhabi
19 April Scotland v UAE T20i Abu Dhabi
21 April Scotland v Ireland T20i Abu Dhabi
23 April Scotland v Zimbabwe T20i Abu Dhabi
25 April Scotland v Uganda T20 WCQ Group A Abu Dhabi
27 April Scotland v Sri Lanka T20 WCQ Group A Abu Dhabi
29 April Scotland v USA T20 WCQ Group A Abu Dhabi
3 May Scotland v Thailand T20 WCQ Group A Abu Dhabi
5 May T20 WCQ S-Final Abu Dhabi
7 May T20 WCQ Final Abu Dhabi