06-05-2024, Mon
Scotland’s skipper, Kathryn Bryce, was emotionally overcome after her team’s historic first-ever ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualification. In the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, Scotland overcame Ireland by eight wickets, and with that victory, they joined Sri Lanka as the only two teams to secure a spot at the main event this year, which will take place in Bangladesh at the beginning of October.
After painfully missing out on qualifying runs in 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2022, Bryce will bring years of labor and hard work to fruition. It will be Scotland’s first Women’s T20 World Cup appearance. When Bryce participated in her first qualifier in Thailand in 2015, she had just turned eighteen. Scotland lost to Ireland in the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-finals, just missing out on a spot in the tournament. After three more unsuccessful campaigns, Bryce attained her ultimate ambition in 2015 when she led her team into this year’s tournament in October and won Player of the Match against Scotland’s conquerors in the semi-finals.
At the first qualification we participated in in Thailand, there were a plethora of different players competing before us. Although we had a few strong Qualifiers, there was little prospect of us moving on when we reached the semi-finals (in 2015 and 2018), according to Bryce, who was cited by the ICC. It’s been a difficult day, Bryce continued, “especially knowing that we have the team to get there. It almost makes it more difficult to control your emotions and get through it.”
Since Bryce has spent the entirety of her international career playing alongside her younger sister Sarah, the triumph was especially meaningful to her.
“It is crazy to think we had our first Qualifier back in 2015 for each of us and the first one for Scotland was in 2008. Scotland was created as a women’s team in 2000 and here we are in 2024 finally having gotten over the line,” Sarah reflected.
“And I think I saw on Twitter (X) that we are only the 12th women’s team to make it to the T20 World Cup it is just unbelievable. What a journey it has been. I feel so lucky to have done it alongside you as my sister. To experience many lows and finally have a crazy massive high,” Sarah added.
Scotland can end the Qualifier competition on a high note by defeating Sri Lanka in the event’s final on Tuesday, even though they have already achieved their goal of securing a spot at this year’s T20 World Cup.
During the event’s group stages, Sri Lanka defeated Scotland by a margin of 10 wickets, and Kathryn is aware that her team needs to get past the excitement of earning a spot in the tournament later in the year and complete the qualifier.
