Kirsty McColl thrilled to follow in her sister’s footsteps

At the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, Kirsty McColl of Scotland doesn’t have to search far for inspiration and comfort. Megan, McColl’s older sister, is an active player for the Scotland senior team. She participated in the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup as a dynamic all-around player.

Both Megan and Kirsty got their start in cricket at their local club’s free Friday night matches while growing up in the East Coast town of Arbroath.

The 19-year-old says, “Being the younger one, I just wanted to do the same as Megan and be like her as much as I could.” “She has been my biggest supporter throughout my cricket journey and has always really inspired me to keep going.”

Due to Megan’s extensive experience with injuries and selective setbacks, her younger sibling has seized every chance to benefit from her wealth of knowledge. Megan is 24 years old.

Kirsty clarified, “She’s always there for me in my corner.” She told me to never give up because she had to battle for her position. Your time will arrive if you put out your best effort.

In addition to her cricketing activities, Kirsty holds an aerospace engineering degree from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University.

She attended the first U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, and this will be her second time participating in the competition.

However, McColl was draughted into the squad as a late injury replacement for Molly Barbour-Smith, meaning she had only a few hours to be ready.

“I was preparing to help the girls after accepting that I hadn’t been chosen. I was thrown in at the deep end and told I had to board the airline the next day. It was quite intense. The squad is a pretty close-knit group, and everyone was quite kind. The entire competition opened my eyes. We had never played in stadiums with the amenities, the equipment, or anything else like that. For many of us, it was only the beginning of our careers,” she said.

Scotland, which placed fourth in Group D, is hoping to do better this time around, and McColl is one of five players making a comeback to the international scene.

Kirsty explains, “We just want to go out and showcase our skills.” “I believe we would genuinely like to leave the organisation, but our performance is what counts and not only that. We didn’t leave the group the last time, so that would be the next course of action. I believe we’re simply improving with time,” she said.