A fractured hand has sidelined Abtaha Maqsood on the eve of the Women’s T20 World Cup, leaving Scotland without the leg-spinner who sits top of their all-time WT20I wicket list. The injury came during the final warm-up against Pakistan on Tuesday and, with no recovery window in sight, the selectors have turned to medium-pacer Hannah Rainey.
Rainey, currently on Yorkshire duty in the Vitality Blast, will fly south in time for Scotland’s opener against Ireland on Saturday. She last played an international T20 in 2025 and owns 25 wickets at an economy of 5.39—solid numbers, if not quite matching Maqsood’s 73 at 5.63.
“The whole playing squad and coaching staff are absolutely gutted for Abtaha,” Scotland head coach Craig Wallace said. She’s such an important member of our squad and will be a great loss to us both on and off the pitch during this tournament. We wish her all the very best in her recovery and hope to see her back on the field soon.
“Hannah now comes into the squad, and we are delighted to welcome her into the group,” Wallace added. “She obviously has plenty of experience, and this is a great opportunity for her as we head into an exciting few weeks.”
The numbers suggest a sizeable gap: Maqsood’s leg-spin, averaging 17.72 per wicket, has been Scotland’s go-to in the middle overs. Rainey offers a steadier seam option, more containment than cutting edge, yet she does land a heavy ball when conditions nip.
“Pretty shocking news for the whole team to take,” Scotland seamer Chloe Abel said of Maqsood’s injury. “Abtaha is a big part of our team, not only from a performance point of view but also from a values point of view. Tough for her and we hope she’ll be able to stick around and watch some cricket.”
Scotland’s management will now juggle combinations—leg-spin replaced by seam, a different new-ball partner for Katherine Fraser, and perhaps more overs for the part-timers. Not ideal, but tournaments rarely run to plan.
