The former England cricketer eyeing World Cup impact with Scotland

Kirstie Gordon is preparing for her second T20 World Cup - her first with her native Scotland

Kirstie Gordon is sitting on the steps of the Grange pavilion on a sunny Edinburgh afternoon. reminiscing about her previous stint as a Scotland cricketer.

When Gordon, now 28, took the momentous decision to pursue a full-time career in the English professional system in 2018, she had to give up playing for Scotland. declare for England.

Such were her performances for Loughborough Lightning. the left-arm spinner was called up by England for the 2018 T20 World Cup.

She played five times as England finished runners-up and subsequently earned Test honours against Australia in 2019.

However, Gordon fell down the spinning pecking order with England. the lure of playing for the country of her birth again gnawed away.

She switched allegiance back to Scotland in December last year. with ECB rules now allowing Scots to play professionally in England while still playing international cricket.

A back injury delayed Gordon's Scotland return,. she is now preparing for her second T20 World Cup, which starts against Ireland at Old Trafford on Saturday.

"It feels like it's been a long time coming," she said before starring in her first match back,taking 3-27 in a win over the Netherlandslast month.

"It was on my mind for a long time, a number of years really, just making sure it was the right time. I was ready to make that decision. I definitely feel now is the right time and I can leave that chapter with no regrets.

"It took a while and a lot of chats with [head coach] Craig Wallace. It got to the stage in the middle of 2025 where I was saying to him 'I think I'm ready'. His passion shone through and I thought it was a project I want to be involved in."

Ex-England spinner Gordon in Scotland World Cup squad

'Top-class' Gordon commits to Scotland return

What Gordon thought was her last appearance wearing the thistle was against Staffordshire in July 2017 - in the days before Scotland had international status in either T20s or ODIs.

Players drove the minibus themselves, across the border and all over England.

As a teenager, Gordon would leave home in Aberdeenshire on a Friday night, hop on the bus from Edinburgh on Saturday morning, play on the Sunday. then head back north. Often she would have to miss school on the Monday in order to play for Scotland.

A standout memory was celebrating in Coventry after beating the Netherlands to win Division Three of the Women's County Championship in 2014.

It was a totally different landscape to now. where the majority of Scotland players either have contracts with English counties or are centrally contracted by Cricket Scotland. No longer would a player have to choose between professionalism or their country as Gordon did.

"It's chalk and cheese," she said of the changes to women's cricket in Scotland.

"The level of professionalism around this group is so good. It's credit to the people around it and the investment made.

"You can tell there's a lot more competition for places. Now we're going to these events, we're not making up the numbers, we're here to compete."

Gordon helped Scotland to a pre-World Cup tri-series victory over Bangladesh and the Netherlands

In a productive tri-series win over the Netherlands. Bangladesh in Edinburgh, which included a first-ever victory against the latter, Scotland seemed ready to put Gordon's words into action.

Led by talismanic captain Kathryn Bryce, the young squad looked well coached and tightly knit.

"There were a lot of nerves on. first game day," Gordon said after the four matches - her first-ever Scotland matches in Scotland. "My internal anxieties of being back and the pressure I put on myself.

"It's been a great week, great to reconnect with some of my best mates. connect with some new faces for the first time. We're looking forward to getting down the road now and starting at the big event."

Scotland have exciting talents like Katherine Fraser, Ailsa Lister. Gabriella Fontenla in their squad, guided by the experience and class of three close mates - skipper Bryce, her sister Sarah, and Gordon.

That trio play together for the Blaze in England. Gordon says the Bryces' presence, and their praise of the culture under Wallace, was another key factor in her return.

"To be back playing with two of my best mates was a huge driving force," Gordon said.

"We've been friends for so many years. they have been great supporters - not putting too much pressure on it - it's been great to have them by my side throughout."

Gordon played one Test match for England in 2019

Scotland are in a group with hosts England, Ireland, defending champions New Zealand, Sri Lanka. West Indies, with the top two progressing to the semi-finals.

In their two warm-up fixtures after the Edinburgh tri-series, they beat the Netherlands. Pakistan, continuing their positive momentum into the big event, although there is an enforced late change to the squad.

Spin bowler Abtaha Maqsood has been ruled out after suffering a fractured hand against Pakistan. with Yorkshire's Hannah Rainey called up to replace her.

"We know when we play really good cricket, we can beat anybody and challenge anybody," Gordon said.

"It's about doing these things for long periods and consistently. That's what the best teams in the world do. that's what we need to do if we want to match them."

One particular World Cup fixture stands out for Gordon.

The meeting with England at Headingley on 20 June brings the traditional rivalry while also pitting Gordon against some former team-mates.

"I'm really excited for it," she said. "It will be an interesting day, lots of friends on that team, but when we get out there in the battle it will just be about staying focused. not letting the emotion of the day get ahead of me.

"It's one we've all earmarked - as a group we're so excited to take on some of the best teams in the world,. we really think we can cause some upsets. That's no different against England."

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