The Scotland women's cricket team carries the flag with them wherever they go.
It's a tradition that started in 2019, when all former players were presented with hats. The first women's match in Scotland took place in 2001, and the flag was signed by all the players representing the country.
“It really is a special piece of history,” says Sarah Bryce, vice-captain and goalkeeper of the current team. “You hear stories about how they were just trying to get the team together as best they could without having any support structure. Just 20 years later we are at the World Cup. I think it's absolutely crazy.”
Sarah and her sister Kathryn played a key role in this process. Both pairs are the faces of Scottish women's cricket and its management. Kathryn is the captain; Sara, her deputy.
“Kari Carswell (née Anderson) was the player coach when I started and was number one on the national team,” recalls Sarah, who made her debut in 2015 at the age of 15, while the versatile Kathryn made her first international appearance in 2011 ., when she was just 13 “And I think it's crazy that I literally played with someone who was in the first ever Scotland team.”
Sarah is only 24 years old but is a veteran of a decade of international cricket. And before he flies to Dubai to play in the World Cup, he remembers traveling by minibus to Devon to play in the District Championships.
“When I started, we (Scotland) were basically in the third tier,” explains Sarah. “I remember there were a lot of bus journeys lasting five, seven, nine hours. We went to Devon once, you go on Saturday, play on Sunday, come back at midnight and go to school or work the next day.
“That was what it was like every weekend or every few weekends traveling an hour to England to play a county game against anyone who was in our division.”
Qualification for the T20 World Cup was secured with a win over Ireland in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. A dream realized by this generation, inspired by the previous one.
“I think I've reached a turning point,” Sarah recalls. “A lot of it depends on Kari and the first team, who have invested so much in creating the structure. When I debuted, we made it to the global qualifiers and finished fourth. We were two games away and we definitely believed that we would finally make it.
A string of qualifying losses followed, turning an inevitable dream into an elusive nightmare, until Kathryn Bryce made a man-of-the-match performance against Ireland, ensuring her nation qualified for their first Women's World Cup.
When was the achievement memorable? “It was actually a few days later,” Kathryn says. “I was just sitting in a coffee shop and reading an article someone had written about the band and what we had achieved and how amazing it was. That realization of how amazing it was for this group of girls to do what we did. I was sitting there with Sara and Abtah (Maqsood) and it was a really, really special moment.”
Emotions related to the tournament itself are mixed. Topping the competition, Scotland had beaten Pakistan and the West Indies in the warm-up match and word began to spread that the newcomers could pull off a surprise.
A narrow defeat to Bangladesh on the opening day was followed by heavy defeats to South Africa and the Windies team they had defeated just a few weeks earlier, which ended their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
“It's hard to know what to feel,” says Sarah. “It was an achievement to get here. But as competitive athletes, once you're here, you want to win.
“We took a moment the other day to just try to take a step back. It's really easy to get caught up in it. We've had some tough defeats and we're taking it hard, but actually they're a very good opponent and we have to learn from that.
Before the opening match, the group held a presentation where each player received an official World Cup jersey, and Kathryn gave a speech that was later referenced by several of her teammates.
“Before the first game, I told the girls that we had already created a legacy and had done something no other team had ever done,” Kathryn says.
“And I think it's easy to always be looking for the next thing – and of course we want to win cricket matches – but at the same time, if we don't win, we've already done something no other team has done for Scotland women and to remember that, that's something special.”
There is still a chance to finish the tournament on a high. On Sunday, Scotland will face World Cup challengers England, a team they have never beaten. But if any group knows how to achieve something for the first time, it's this one.
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