Kathryn Bryce says The Blaze are driven by a desire to improve their 50-over form – despite a recent record which includes a runners-up finish in 2023 and a strong late run of form last year – as their Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign begins against Lancashire tomorrow (10.30am start).

The Scotland captain is part of a 13-strong squad for the season-opener at Trent Bridge. Tickets are available here...

Kirstie Gordon misses the season-opener as she continues her rehabilitation, following a lower-back stress response being detected during England Women A's tour of Australia. Tammy Beaumont will captain the side in her absence. Nat Sciver-Brunt, meanwhile, is unavailable as she takes parental leave following the birth of her son.

The Blaze won four consecutive 50-over fixtures towards the end of last summer’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, before defeat to Central Sparks saw the side fall just short of qualification for the knockout stages for a fourth white-ball tournament in succession.

But Bryce feels there is room for improvement.

“I’m really excited to be back out at Trent Bridge this week,” she said.

“We had a fantastic season last year, especially in the T20s [where they claimed the Charlotte Edwards Cup], but there’s a lot to improve on in the 50-over game so I’m really excited to get going on home turf.

“Consistency is the key – it’s tough at the start of the season sometimes when you’ve not had time to play yourself into form, so we’re really keen to kick off the season well and get some good performances under our belt.

“It’s not always about looking for that perfect performance – it’s about finding ways to get over the line.”

Bryce has recently returned from the ICC World Cup Qualifier in Pakistan, where she was named player of the tournament as Scotland narrowly failed to secure qualification – losing a nailbiting final clash with Ireland by one wicket.

But the all-rounder found plenty of positives from the competition.

“It was a fantastic tournament for us,” she said.

“We’ve not played a huge amount of 50-over cricket as a country, but it was a great competition and the games were really close, so it was great to have that experience.

“I don’t think you can get much closer than that Ireland game – there were a lot of ups and downs through it, so it was a fantastic game of cricket.”

While a settled core remains, a sprinkling of fresh faces have been added to The Blaze squad in the close season.

Georgia Elwiss is among the higher-profile domestic recruits, alongside the likes of England international Amy Jones, while Charley Phillips and Amy Wheeler are among those providing an injection of youth.

The squad is overseen by new Head Coach Craig Cumming, who arrives having enjoyed a trophy-laden stint in New Zealand with Otago Sparks.

“It’s been great to have Craig in – it’s always exciting to have a fresh voice, and it was great to have the time in Abu Dhabi to get down to the nitty gritty with him as a squad,” said Bryce.

“The depth we’ve now got as a squad is exciting. It can be tough at times for individuals, but it’s a really healthy place for a professional side to be in, for players to know that they have to keep performing to keep their spot.

“It’s really exciting to have that extra experience of someone like Georgia, and the new faces have fitted in really well – Charley was fantastic in Abu Dhabi.

“But to keep the bulk of the squad together from last year is really positive too.”

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