Player Profile

Ailsa Lister is another one of Lancashire’s Scotland contingent, the versatile wicketkeeper-batter contracted by both the county and her country.

Lister will celebrate her 21st birthday in early April - on the eve of the 2025 county season - at which time she hopes to be in Pakistan with Scotland as they aim to qualify for the 50-over World Cup later this year.

They are tackling a Qualifiers tournament as they bid to follow up last October’s appearance in the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Lister featured in that, playing all four matches with a best score of 26.

Last year also saw the Elgin-born up-and-comer make her senior debut for Lancashire Thunder, playing five times in the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition. She posted a best of 44 in a defeat against The Blaze at Loughborough in May, a dynamic middle order 44 off 30 balls.

At time of writing, she has 42 international appearances to her name across 50-over and T20 cricket. The vast majority have come in T20Is since debuting in May 2021. The World Cup Qualifiers in Pakistan could be the making of her in the longer format.

Lister has four half-centuries to her name in the T20 arena, including a best of 68 not out in a dominant win over France in a World Cup regional qualifier in Almeria in September 2023. She batted at number four on that occasion and hit three sixes in a powerful 36-ball assault.

In April 2023, she crashed a fabulous 117 not out off 75 balls opening the batting for Scotland in a T20 County Cup victory over Lancashire at Glasgow. You wonder how much of an impact that innings played in her signing for Thunder?

Lister has played age-group cricket for Scotland since 2017 - at Under 17s, Under 19s and Under 21s level, also featuring for her country’s A team.

She has also played winter club cricket in Australia in the past. In September 2022, she played for the Perth club, Midland-Guildford.

A few months later, she was Scotland’s vice captain at the inaugural Under 19s T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Lister would surely have played more for the Red Rose in 2024, her first as a contracted professional at Emirates Old Trafford, but for injury.

Fully fit now, she will hope to show some more of her aggressive style with bat in hand as Lancashire aim for a trio of trophies in 2025.