YOUNG SCOTS SET FOR MCC CHALLENGE
Three of Scotland's promising young players will head to London next month to take on the MCC.
Maisie Maceira, Nayma Sheikh and Ollie Jones have been selected for the women's and men's squads chosen to represent European Associate Members, which see top female and male cricketers from across the continent gain access to world class facilities, top tier coaching, and the unique challenge of playing as combined European XIs, alongside players they usually face as rivals.
They follow in the footsteps of Muhaymen Majeed and Zainullah Ihsan, who represented Scotland in 2025 in the men's fixture at Lord's. Zainullah's progression since saw him break into the senior men's squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Maisie and Nayma will compete for a place in the ICC Europe Women’s XI at the “Home of Cricket” on 17 April, in a match that forms part of the MCC’s annual Women’s Day celebrations at Lord’s. The squad will then head to the picturesque Wormsley Estate on 18 April for a second fixture.
The back-to-back matches will test the wider squad’s ability to adapt quickly to English conditions while forging cohesion in a newly assembled team. Supporting them is an all-female coaching staff made up of Level 3 and Level 4 coaches, marking an important milestone for high performance women’s cricket in Europe.
Ollie, who starred for Scotland at the recent ICC Men's U19 World Cup in Zimbabwe, will be part of the ICC Europe Men’s U23 XI that will take part in four T20 fixtures against the MCC on 30 April and 1 May at Wormsley. The 16-player squad represents 13 countries, featuring a blend of rising stars and players from across Europe.
The series offers meaningful early-season preparation, particularly with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup European pathway beginning this summer. Once again, the squad will be supported by a world class backroom team of ICC Level 3 and ECB Level 4 coaches, ensuring the players develop their games under the guise of some of the best coaches on the continent.