Bryce for impact

Growing up Sarah Bryce took to wicketkeeping to keep herself more active and involved on the cricket field. It was also encouraged by her parents because it meant that she would have a different set of skills than her sister Kathryn, who was developing into a medium-pace all-rounder. As a result, there would be less competition between the two young sisters. They had no idea that Sarah's ability to keep wickets would eventually lead her to travel the world. She didn't just pick cricket as a sport. Sarah played hockey until recently for her alma mater Loughborough University, where she studied mathematics and Kathryn did her degree in sports science. It was during their time at Loughborough that the idea of cricket as a profession took shape. Amidst the COVID-induced chaos that was the year 2020, there was light at the end of the tunnel for the Bryce sisters.

When English cricket revamped its domestic structure ahead of the launch of The Hundred, both Kathryn and Sarah received full-time ECB contracts with Lightning Cricket (now The Blaze) in December 2020, making them the only players, in a 41-member list, from an ICC Associate nation to receive such a benefit. Bryce sisters could now solely focus on their cricket careers now instead of "looking for a job after uni".

"I was quite lucky that I've always wanted to kind of play cricket to as high a standard as possible but I didn't know if that was going to be possible... to be professional, and then lockdown happened," Sarah tells Cricbuzz. "I was fortunate to obtain my first professional contract through the ECB after the COVID lockdown. I'm just really lucky with the timing of it all, and being at Loughborough University which afforded me that opportunity."

Only 21 then, Sarah made her Women's Hundred debut for Oval Invincibles in the inaugural year. After a forgettable first season, the younger of the two Bryce sisters moved to Welsh Fire, and that's where Sarah flourished. In the most recent edition of the 100-ball competition, Welsh advanced to the finals thanks to Bryce's match-winning hand of 51*. Sarah stood out with her impressive glovework and the capacity to churn out useful knocks when needed, even though they ultimately finished second best to London Spirit in a thrilling finish. Meg Lanning, who was playing for the eventual champions, was obviously one of them who paid attention.

When Scotland made their T20 World Cup debut in the UAE last year, Sarah was her sister's deputy. Sarah got through Scotland's disappointing run by playing the Sydney Sixers in the WBBL at the last minute. Sarah was recruited into the rookie program after Alyssa Healy, who had suffered a tournament-ending foot injury in the group match against Pakistan, was a doubtful starter for the tenth edition of the Australian league. With Healy's on-field workload still an area of concern once she was passed fit to return to action in the later stages of WBBL and eventually ruled out for good later, Sarah continued to be the Sixers' 'keeper throughout the season.

She left an immediate impression with the bat on arrival, making a match-winning 36 not out against Melbourne Renegades on debut and a 62 off 44 balls against the Adelaide Strikers in the following game - both innings coming at a 140-plus strike-rate. In the remainder of the WBBL, she played two additional useful knocks in various batting positions, albeit in defeat, but those impact runs were sufficient to distinguish her. In the WPL 2025 auction that followed shortly after, Lanning's Delhi Capitals recruited her in an effort to strengthen a few weak links, the primary of which was the lack of runs by their first-choice wicketkeeper.

Sarah's inclusion as an associate player in the league allowed the Delhi Capitals to still include four international players in their XI, and they haven't looked back since. Sarah, on her part, did a good job of justifying that inclusion with an immediate impact knock in a chase that had no business becoming as difficult as it did, at the expense of Taniya Bhatia, a veteran of two seasons. DC was cruising after Shafali Verma's blistering start in their tournament opener against Mumbai Indians in a chase of 164 before MI's experienced foreign bowling attack combined to cause a collapse of 4 for 16. With the recent U19 World Cup-winning captain Niki Prasad holding fort at one end, DC still required 56 more in the last-five overs when Sarah arrived in the middle. DC was on the right path to victory thanks to her 10-ball cameo of 21, which included a six off Nat Sciver-Brunt at the end. However, there would be more drama later.

With a 19-ball 23 against RCB next, Delhi posted a respectable 141 from 85/5 at one point thanks to Sarah's useful lower-order knock, which helped stop the regular loss of wickets. In four out of the next six games DC played, Sarah never got a batting opportunity, but she'd proven her usefulness with the bat early enough to permanently claim her spot in the XI despite the presence of two other Indian wicketkeeping options in the squad.

Lanning stated prior to the WPL 2025 final, "She has been excellent for our group." "She is a great person to have around, very chilled, very easy to get along with and she has fitted in really nicely to our group. She has also performed admirably on the field, in my opinion. "She has had limited opportunities with the bat, but when she has come in she has really played a significant role for us. She has been able to make an impact for our team, whether it be with just one ball or with ten, in T20 cricket. She has, I believe, been very tidy behind the scenes and has taken advantage of the opportunities that have come her way." The admiration is mutual, and Sarah acknowledges that she hopes to incorporate aspects of her time in the dressing room with Lanning into her own game as a cricketer and as a leader.

"A learning experience is hearing how she approaches the game and prepares for it, as well as her willingness to respect people's individuality and the fact that everyone approaches it differently." Sarah, the Scotland vice-captain under her sister Kathryn, has been particularly touched by Laning's captaincy philosophy. "Her style of letting people do things their way [stood out for me]. However, once she is on the field, I believe she will know exactly what needs to be done and will be able to communicate clearly with the bowlers. Everything just seems to be under control all the time, even when things might not be. So I think that's a massive quality of hers [I'd like to pick up]."

Sarah is one of the few cricketers to have participated in the "big three" of the four current women's cricket leagues by completing that bucket-list experience of playing in India with her first WPL stint. "The Hundred was obviously the first competition like that I've experienced, and it was eye-opener in terms of the crowds that we got along. That was truly exceptional. "The standard of cricket and the strength of the depth of the country as a whole were excellent in Australia. I had a great time there. WBBL is obviously one of the best tournaments. You know, Australia lead the way in terms of women's cricket. Therefore, it was truly special to participate in that competition and experience that. I got a lot out of it.

I was able to kind of do well and understand things I can hopefully keep getting better at. I was able to kind of see where my skills were at. "Obviously, the WPL... playing in India with the crowds here is just next level. Cricket is huge in India, and the tournament is really exciting. So to get the opportunity to come out and play in the WPL, I was just absolutely buzzing for it. I've always wanted to play cricket in India and experience the country's enthusiasm for the sport. "With the crowd and the noise, playing in Bangalore against RCB was a real highlight, especially when Pez [Ellyse Perry] got a fifty. It was obviously bad for us, but hearing how the crowd rallied around it was pretty amazing. Naturally, it was pleasing to hear how quiet the second inning crowd was. But yeah, overall, I'll be so happy that I got to experience Indian cricket." "Embrace it all and enjoy every bit of it" was Kathryn's most important piece of advice from her time with the Gujarat Giants last season as she prepared for her first WPL stint. Long before their path-breaking WPL stints as Associate Player representatives at the WPL, the Bryce sisters have been the flag-bearers of Scotland Cricket since their teenage days.

Sarah acknowledges how comforting it is to have a "best friend" on the team in such a stressful job. "Being able to kind of share these experiences with her makes me feel really lucky, and I think we've both pushed each other to be better as we've gotten older because we've been so competitive. However, it's also nice that you've always had someone to go to the nets with or support you through the inevitable ups and downs of playing sports, particularly cricket. It's really special to have that kind of connection with Kathryn, to have someone who understands it and can help you along the way. Sarah spends most of her off time reading, even in the hotel lobby and hallways. She's currently on the fourth book of the popular five-part series 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' and "highly recommends it to anyone". Other times, the time off was well spent playing tennis with teammates Jemimah Rodrigues and Arundhati Reddy, going to a music concert with the two of them, and getting a taste of Indian culture through the food and the Holi festival on the day before the final. Besides those core memories, Sarah will soon link up with her Scotland teammates with important inputs on how to tackle subcontinental pitches and conditions as the country prepares for the ODI World Cup qualifiers in Pakistan and potentially even another World Cup debut later this year back in India.

Already in encouraging signs for the captain-vice-captain duo, Scotland rubbing shoulders with the bigwigs in UAE late last year has seen a spike in interest among kids back home.

"The exposure to the game has definitely increased. Additionally, it is hoped that more young girls will see cricket as a promising career choice. If they're getting to that stage where they're maybe having to choose sports, they can look and see that and be like, 'oh, cricket, I can go to a World Cup'. Additionally, I believe that the real effects won't be apparent until much later. But we winning our first World Cup definitely made me feel excited. That was really cool to kind of experience that, that growth and support around the country."
Sarah's incredible 2024–25 cricket season, during which she played all over the world and shared dressing rooms with some of the sport's biggest names, has also changed her personal and professional life.

"I've learned a lot about my game and kind of where I'm at and hopefully where I can get to," she says. "I think day-to-day life is probably just as same as it's always been, if we're honest. However, it has also been somewhat busier, I suppose. This is the winter period where we usually have off-season back home, a lot of training. However, despite being out playing a lot, I've been fortunate enough to play a lot more cricket, which has been very exciting. However, it has also presented challenges in finding the time to keep improving my game. "I still think probably the last sort of year or so has been a massive turning point in my career. I mean, internationally qualifying for a World Cup, the leagues then.

I feel like this last year has been insane. Going to my first WBBL and now being here at the WPL.. yeah, this last year has been crazy. It's been wonderful. "And hopefully there's just more of that to come. But I definitely feel like it's been a little bit of a turning point in the opportunities that arose. And qualifying for that World Cup was the first step. So it just shows what kind of those little moments can do."