By James Reid

Not many players can say they have taken a five-for at a World Cup, but Maisie Maceira is heading back from Malaysia having joined that illustrious club.

The 19-year-old bowler has impressed at the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025, finishing the tournament as Scotland’s leading wicket taker with eight to her name.

Five came for just 15 runs in an impressive one-wicket victory over Nepal to ensure progression to the Super Six stage.

That is where Scotland’s campaign ultimately ended, with a comfortable defeat to India rounding off their time in Malaysia but Maceira is pleased to be heading home with plenty of valuable experience and her own slice of history.

“I honestly was shocked I was able to do that,” she said. “I was able to use my variations that I have never really used in games before.

“I have just been doing them in training and testing them out against batters in the nets, but getting to use them and see that they actually work.

“Being able to tell people I had a five-for at a World Cup is pretty incredible.”

Scotland also faced up against Australia and Bangladesh in the group stage, with Maceira taking two wickets against the latter.

She then added to that total at the Super Six stage, dismissing Indian opener G Kamalini to take her tally for the tournament to eight and could have had another had centurion Gongadi Trisha been held in the deep late on.

Despite the match ultimately ending in a 150-run defeat for Scotland, Maceira insisted there were plenty of valuable lessons to take from the contest, and the tournament as a whole.

“It wasn’t the result we wanted but we put in our best efforts,” she added. “We had a strong batting side against us, they are a great team but our bowling was quite good.

“I was very happy with my own performance. They are a very strong side and were always likely to get runs. I knew I had the team backing me and it was a quite fun to be able to go out there and bowl for the team.

“It has been incredible, and to be able to say we have been to a World Cup is great. It is a great bunch of people I have been able to share it with. We really got to go out, show how we play and do the best we could.

“Everyone in the team has improved massively from being here. It has been such a different experience from playing cricket in Scotland and against teams in Scotland. Everyone has got better and worked on things we wanted to work on.”