Scotland Woes

I was interested to read an article by the BBC on the plight of the Scotland women’s team.

In the article it was stated Scotland’s “Team of the Year” has not played a home series since 2022 and there is nothing on the horizon. Quite understandably that’s a concern, for the Wildcats have both ODI and T20I status.

Director of Performance Steve Snell stated that “To host a series we’re looking at, give or take, between £75,000 and £100,000 and with very little kickback in terms of getting any money back in from that. If we do that three or four times a year against different teams, it gets expensive very quickly.”

I would invite Mr Snell to explain just which team does host teams three or four times a year. Certainly not Australia – one, very occasionally two. England is hosting West Indies next month. I think that’s the full programme. New Zealand, West Indies, Pakistan, India, South Africa – all Full Member nations. The idea of three or four is a complete departure from reality.

If we venture into Associate Member nations, the same applies, and the difficulty in hosting home series is, I would suggest, with much less available funding than Scotland enjoys, yet they still manage to do it.

Rwanda is hosting the eleventh edition of the Kwibuka Tournament next month, a multi team (usually eight) series between African nations and sometimes teams from outside the continent. I doubt the RCA has more available funds than Cricket Scotland.

Botswana hosted their annual Kalahari tournament earlier this month. Four teams. (What’s quite amazing is that Sierra Leone won the cup, going through undefeated. Their Director of Cricket informs me that the team went to that tournament with “three bats, three pads, three gloves and a pair of wicket keeping gloves.”)

Ok, so they are multi team tournaments. That costs a lot more than hosting a single team. These African nations which you may struggle to find on a map are doing this year on year.

Greece just hosted Germany. Estonia is currently hosting Bulgaria. These are not high flying cricketing nations. I could list many more, but the point is, how can these nations manage to host a women’s cricket series while Scotland cannot?

Pakistan is an interesting one. They host a series every year. We enjoy watching it on the PCB YouTube channel. The PCB always put on a good series – good coverage on their social media platforms, live-stream and excellent coverage on the PCB website. Remember this is a Muslim nation where many folk shun the idea of women playing sport.

I tell you what separates Pakistan from Scotland: will. What separates Rwanda, Botswana, Greece and Estonia from Scotland? Will.

Why has Scotland’s men’s team played home series since 2022, but the women not? The Scotland men’s team enjoy a solid position in the ICC Rankings, thirteenth in both ODI and T20 Internationals. Little wonder they enjoy home support from their board.

Using the same rankings, the Scotland women also enjoy a solid position, except they are twelfth in both ODI and T20 Internationals. (as at 13 May 2025)

We can afford a home series for the men but there is no money for the women. Curious.

In reading the BBC article, I very much appreciated the frank words of the players and their concerns – difficulty scheduling their day jobs around the ever changing cricket landscape. It is a challenge for every cricketer on the planet, not just the Scots. For every Ellyse Perry, there are at least twenty other players struggling to make ends meet.

That said, the Scotland players enjoy privileges not available to say, Fatima Sana, the Pakistan captain, one of the leading players in the world. English domestic cricket hosts many a Scotland player, as do the franchise leagues across the globe. Fatima plays in none of these. Think about that.

While I sympatise with the plight of the Scotland players, they are in a far better position than most other players on the planet. In fact I am sure that each Scotland player has more equipment than the entire Sierra Leone team. Think about that too.

A Pathway Forward

Cricket Scotland first need to find the will, not the excuses. How can you find money for home tournaments for the men while unable to do so for the women? It doesn’t meet the pub test, it’s illogical and frankly, sexist.

Nations such as Rwanda, Pakistan, Indonesia, Greece – the list goes on – they have found the will. Scotland needs to take a close look at how these other nations are achieving what they say is the impossible. If you want something, you’ll find a way.

Scotland is actually in a unique position. They are actually in close proximity to two teams on a similar path, Ireland and the Netherlands. A reciprocal home series against both every few years is a no brainer. Pakistan have expressed willingness to tour. That’s a total of four teams with similar rankings. Three ODIs, three T20Is, home and away. Yes Scotland, you need to dip into your own bank account and host these teams. You’ve proven you can do it with your men’s team, so why not make the effort for the higher ranked Wildcats?

Cricket Scotland doesn’t lack funds, they lack the will and they lack the ingenuity of teams that have access to far fewer resources. Time to look in the mirror.

Photo © Cricket Scotland