The Scotland squad for next month’s ICC Women’s U19 World Cup has been named, as Heriot-Watt University continue their support of Scottish women’s cricket by partnering the team during their journey to Malaysia.

The agreement is the first of its kind for a Scotland Pathway squad and follows on from Heriot Watt’s backing of the senior women’s squad at the recent ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The Heriot-Watt University logo will be present on the Scotland playing shirts during the tournament, which begins on 18 January 2025.

The fifteen-strong Scotland squad will fly to UAE on 4 January for a pre-tournament training camp and warmup fixtures, before arriving in Malaysia on 11 January. The squad and coaching staff will be hosted at an event at the Heriot-Watt University Malaysia campus in Putrajaya, just outside the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

Head Coach Kari Carswell said:

“We are hugely grateful to Heriot-Watt University for their continued support of Scottish women’s cricket, and we are very much looking forward to visiting the campus and meeting the staff and students when we arrive in Malaysia.

“It’s exciting to finally announce our squad, which I think has a good mixture of experience and freshness, with some girls who had the opportunity to play at the World Cup in South Africa two years ago mixed in with a lot of new players.

“There’s plenty who’ve been in good form or who’ve come off a really positive summer, and I think we’ve got all bases covered in terms of our seam attack, spinners, top order batters and those in the middle and lower order. It's a really exciting group and looking ahead there’s some who potentially have another U19 cycle to go through beyond this one, so that’s a big positive too.

“We’ve had a great indoor training block here since October, mixed in with time in the gym. We’ve tried to keep the sessions fresh and original but looked to challenge the players in different ways, and they’ve responded to it well and worked really hard. All the players and the non-travelling reserves have made progress in the last few months, so it’s an exciting time for us.

“We’re obviously in a very tough group, with Australia first up, but it’s a great opportunity for our players to show what they can do on the big stage and will be a fantastic learning experience.

“Going from minus five here to probably twenty-five degrees in Malaysia is going to be a challenge! The heat and humidity and the pitches will be different to what we’re used to, but we’ll have training and games at our Dubai training camp that will give some opportunities to work out a game plan that will suit us and give us the best chance of performing well.”

Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi, Provost and CEO of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, said:

“This partnership is a powerful testament to our shared commitment to empowering women and championing excellence both on and off the field. We are delighted to welcome the Scotland U19 Women’s cricket team to our Malaysia campus, offering our students and community a unique opportunity to engage with these inspiring athletes.

“Their passion, resilience and determination are a reflection of the Heriot-Watt University values of mobilising purpose into impact, and we are excited to support them on their journey. We wish the team much success in the tournament and beyond.”

Scotland Squad

Amelie Baldie	Dulwich CC and Surrey CCC
Molly Barbour-Smith	Gunnersbury CC and Essex CCC
Gabriella Fontenla	Carlton CC
Lucy Forrester Smith	Stewart’s Melville CC
Pippa Kelly	Stewart’s Melville CC
Maisie Maceira	Carlton CC and Gala CC
Kirsty McColl	Watsonian CC
Niamh Muir	St Michaels CC and Watsonian CC
Charlotte Nevard	Watsonian CC
Mollie Parker	Northern Counties CC
Nayma Sheikh	East Kilbride CC
Rosie Speedy	Stewart’s Melville CC
Pippa Sproul	Burridge CC, Hursley Park CC and Hampshire CCC
Jenna Stanton	West of Scotland CC
Emma Walsingham	Stewart’s Melville CC

Non-travelling reserves

Georgina Birkinshaw		Didsbury CC and Lancashire CCC
Teagan Broughton		Sileby Town CC, Grange CC and Leicestershire CCC
Emily Duguid		Stewart’s Melville CC
Rebecca McCrossan		Clydesdale CC and East Kilbride CC
Ruth McKay		Huntly CC and East Kilbride CC
Sam Robson		Huntly CC

Scotland Fixtures (all timings GMT)

18 January	Scotland v Australia	Kuala Lumpur	0230
20 January	Scotland v Nepal	Kuala Lumpur	0630
22 January	Scotland v Bangladesh	Kuala Lumpur	0230

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