KIRSTIE GORDON COMMITS TO SCOTLAND

Blaze captain Kirstie Gordon has committed her international future to Scotland, more than eight years on from her last appearance in blue.

Huntly-born Kirstie made her Scotland debut aged 14 but opted to give up her Scottish qualification in 2018 in order to pursue a full-time career as a cricketer in the English professional system. She was subsequently selected for England and featured at the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup as well in the one-off Test match against Australia in 2019.

The slow-left armer, who plays alongside Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce and wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce for Blaze, is currently rehabilitating from a back injury but aims to recover in time for the start of the 2026 domestic season. Thereafter, she will be available for selection for future Scotland squads.

Kirstie, who earned 60 Scotland caps between 2012 and 2017, said: “It’s always been in the back of my mind in the last couple of years to return to Scotland, and it has helped having Craig Wallace in my ear! He’s been on the phone a few times and I feel like I’ve really connected with him and his vision for the team. If you couple that with the chance to play again with two of my best mates in Kathryn and Sarah, it feels like it’s the right moment to “come home”.

“I made my Scotland debut very young, and I was fortunate to go to the first global qualifiers in Thailand in 2015, so I had some awesome experiences with Scotland at that time, but I was really keen to try and take my cricketing career as far as I could.

“Going to Loughborough for university, the opportunities and avenues to play at a higher level really opened up from there. I eventually decided to stop my Scotland career and become a local player in order to play for Loughborough Lightning.

“I guess I did that while not really knowing what the prospects were, but I then was selected for England at the World Cup in the West Indies. It was probably always on my radar that I wanted to play at the highest level, so I absolutely loved it, and I’m really grateful for those opportunities.

“I’m really proud of the fact that after I made that decision to switch nationality, the domestic rules around eligibility were changed and nowadays Kathryn, Sarah, and many other Scottish players are playing and thriving in the English domestic system, which is obviously really good for the game here.”

Kirstie’s decision comes as Scotland Women prepare for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Nepal in January. The advancement of the national team in recent years has had a huge positive impact on the overall growth of the women’s game in Scotland, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by Kirstie.

“It’s been brilliant to watch the recent success of the team,” she said. “I watched the livestream on my I-pad when we beat Ireland to qualify for the T20 World Cup last year, and I was sitting on the living floor crying.

“I couldn’t believe it, because I know what the journey was like for a lot of those players, such as Priyanaz , Lorna Jack and Abbi Aitken-Drummond. They’d been on a long road, so to come through and achieve that was amazing.

“Kathryn has been a huge influence in that success, as she’s always one to lead by example and stand up in those pressure moments, and I think the team follow her. Now you can see more young players coming through and they are fearless. The way they want to take the game on is brilliant, and there’s a real balance to the team, so I’m just excited to hopefully be part of that in whatever role I’m required.

“The standard now is much higher, and there’s real competition for places, and I absolutely think it’ll be a great place to be part of. There’s also a number of young spinners pushing through and I’m keen to help them if I can, so that when I eventually leave the game, I’ve added some value to help improve Scottish cricket even more.

“I’m hoping like everyone else is that the team will be successful in Nepal and qualify for the World Cup in the summer, but this decision is not about the short term – hopefully for a number of years, I can be a part of Cricket Scotland as a player as well as supporting the younger players coming through. Whatever that looks like, I’m eager to get involved.”

Craig Wallace, Scotland Head Coach, said: “It’s exciting to hear Kirstie is now available for selection for Scotland and we are delighted to welcome her back home. She’s obviously a top-class player and an excellent person and having got to know her I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with her.

“I think the most pleasing thing about her decision is that it shows the strength of our squad, that somebody of Kirstie’s ability is wanting to come and challenge to compete for a place in the team. We have created a strong group and culture on and off the pitch, and it’s fantastic that she wants to join it and be part of the journey.”