Kathryn Bryce admits switching allegiance to England is ‘always an option'
Having been in red-hot form both domestically and internationally in the past 12 months, helping Scotland reach the 2024 T20 World Cup, Bryce is an attractive choice for an England side in transition.
Well played, Skip! 🫡
Kathryn Bryce has been named Player of the Tournament at the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier 🙌 🏴#FollowScotland pic.twitter.com/8YbA3J8wVn
— Cricket Scotland (@CricketScotland) April 19, 2025
Asked about the prospect, the 27-year-old, who was born and raised in Edinburgh, told the PA news agency: 'Yeah, possibly. You never know how you feel until you have to make that decision.
'It's always an option that's there but the stuff with Scotland has been super exciting recently. I guess it will always be lingering on in the background at some point.'
England dispensed with head coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight after a group-stage exit in the T20 World Cup last October was followed by a 16-0 whitewash defeat in this year's multi-format Ashes.
Charlotte Edwards has been appointed as Lewis' successor and her first assignment is a white-ball series against the West Indies, starting with the first of three T20s on May 21 at Canterbury.
Any change in nationality for Bryce is likely to be much further down the line but there is a precedent for the all-rounder, whose sister Sarah is another on an upward curve and has been linked with England.
Kirstie Gordon, who captains both Bryces at The Blaze, swapped Scotland for England in 2018, albeit for different reasons as the off-spinner's priority was to get a deal in the now-defunct Kia Super League.
Women's cricket is a much-changed landscape nowadays, as Bryce said: 'When I started my career, the only way to be a professional cricketer was to play for England.
'To see the way it's grown and the way The Hundred has taken off and expanded and the investment that's going into all of that, it's just phenomenal.'
The women's domestic structure has been revamped for this year and the eight teams given tier-one status get their seasons under way this week in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Charlotte Edwards has recently been appointed England head coach (Ben Whitley/PA)
There will be a lot of attention on Bryce, who last October became the first non-English winner of the Professional Cricketers' Association's women's player of the year award after a standout 2024.
Bryce was instrumental in The Blaze, based at Trent Bridge, winning the Charlotte Edwards Cup, their first major trophy, but she added: 'Last year was fantastic, I'd do pretty well to ever top that again.
'I'm trying not to put that pressure on myself because what was successful last year was being free and backing the skills and options I had.
'I had the backing of the team and the players – you take away the fear of getting out which allows yourself to play your best game.'
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