There is always a special kind of buzz when a new name bursts onto the scene, a young cricketer taking their first steps in the international arena, whose poise and potential offer a glimpse of the future. For Scotland in 2023, that name was Niamh Robertson-Jack.

A 17-year-old left-arm spinner with composure beyond her years, she played a vital role in helping Scotland progress through the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier. Just when it felt like the start of something bright, the kind of beginning that fills a dressing room with quiet excitement and optimism., everything came crashing down.

Only a few months after that breakthrough summer, Robertson-Jack suffered a serious ACL injury during a rugby match. One moment she was celebrating a call-up to the World Cup Qualifiers (Global Qualifiers) and the next she was facing the harsh reality of surgery, recovery, and months away from the sport she loved.

“I was in a bit of a denial phase thinking ‘this can’t happen,’ because it was the same day I’d got the phone call to go to the World Cup Qualifiers [Global Qualifiers] in Abu Dhabi,” she told Cricket Scotland. “So I went from a real high to crashing down.”

As fate would have it, the squad she helped propel to the Global Qualifiers went on to create history. Scotland finished second in Abu Dhabi and, for the first time ever, qualified for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2024. It was a monumental moment in Scottish cricket, one that Robertson-Jack would have watched from the sidelines and must have been proud of what her teammates had achieved, but aching not to have shared it on the field. For a young player who had contributed to getting them there, the feeling would have been as complex as it was powerful, a case of joy laced with longing.

The injury kept her off the field for 15 months, time filled with frustration and pain. Surgery was delayed by four long months, and when rehab finally began, it tested every ounce of her resolve. Learning to walk, to jog, to trust her knee again; every step demanded not just physical endurance, but emotional resilience. There were setbacks and tears, but also a growing determination to come back stronger.

That determination and hard work finally paid off. On 10 June, Robertson-Jack stepped back onto the cricket field for the first time since her injury, a moment charged with relief and joy. Every hour of rehab, every early morning at the gym, every doubt she had battled through led to that moment. With each delivery, she rediscovered the rhythm that had once defined her and the belief that had carried her through recovery.