Kirsty Gordon eyes T20 World Cup impact with Scotland eight years after England switch

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 and 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 and 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, but 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 Netherlands last month.

“It was on my mind for a long time, a number of years really, just making sure it was the right time and 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.”