On Monday 26 February, Scotland Women will travel to Desert Springs for a warm-weather training camp to prepare for the Women's ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Qualifier.
The 16-player squad will spend seven days in Spain and will be accompanied by four members of the coaching staff. Interim Head Coach Craig Wallace will be supported by Assistant Coaches Joe Kinghorn-Gray and Kari Carswell, as well as Physio Chris Powell.
Scotland is familiar with Desert Springs, having won the Women's ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier at the resort in September. They returned in October to compete in a multi-format series with Ireland.
The travelling squad will have several days of training and play three T20 practice matches against Sunrisers. Sunrisers are one of the eight regional hubs in English domestic cricket.
The Sunrisers are the regional side with whom Scotland's Abtaha Maqsood has signed a contract and who have represented Scotland in the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Charlotte Edwards Cup in each of the last two seasons.
Craig Wallace, Scotland’s Interim Women's Head Coach, stated that this camp provides an excellent opportunity to bring the group together before the upcoming T20 World Cup Qualifiers. It also allows for high-quality outdoor practice against quality opposition, which is a welcome change from indoor practice!
Many squad members have been performing well and spending significant time in the south. As a result, we do not have many opportunities to come together as a group. Therefore, this chance to spend time together and work hard as a team before a crucial few months is extremely valuable.
The upcoming week presents an opportunity to explore various options before finalising the squad for the qualifier. Due to the unavailability of some players, we can involve those who have recently come through the pathway, such as Niamh Muir and Maisie Maceira, to continue their learning and development.
Scotland squad:
- Sarah Bryce - Blaze
- Darcey Carter - South East Stars
- Priyanaz Chatterji - South East Stars/Carlton
- Maryam Faisal - West of Scotland/Clydesdale
- Katherine Fraser - Northern Diamonds/Stewart's Melville
- Becky Glen - Northern Lights
- Lorna Jack - Grange
- Ailsa Lister - Thunder
- Maisie Maceira - Gala/Carlton
- Abtaha Maqsood- Sunrisers
- Megan McColl - Northern Lights/Strathmore
- Niamh Muir - Watsonians/St Michaels
- Hannah Rainey - Thunder
- Nayma Sheikh- West of Scotland/East Kilbride
- Rachel Slater - Northern Diamonds
- Ellen Watson - West of Scotland/Clydesdale
T20 Fixtures:
Scotland XI vs Sunrisers - 1400 (Local) 29 February
Scotland XI vs Sunrisers - 1400 (Local) 1 March
Scotland XI vs Sunrisers - 1400 (Local) 2 March