Kathryn Bryce was the first batter to properly time the ball at Old Trafford, and she did it delightfully. Scotland had been pulled back from a strong start after their opening pair put on 30, and were 37 for 2 after the powerplay, when Kathryn hung back in her crease and hit Ava Canning cleanly over mid-off. Three Irish fielders gave chase but the ball beat all of them. Kathryn would go on to hit five more fours and a six, share in a 106-run stand with her sister, Sarah Bryce, and set up Scotland's score of 161 for 5.
Kathryn was also the first, and the last, bowler to make an impact at the venue's opening game. She took the first Irish wicket in the opening over with a sharp return catch off a ball hit so hard it had the umpire ducking for cover.
"I'm not sure anyone else can do that," opener Katherine Fraser said afterwards. Then, Kathryn took the final wicket off a slower ball on a surface where the slowness had been difficult for batters to navigate. Her performance meant that Scotland have done in five matches at T20 World Cups what Ireland, in 18, are yet to do: win.
The significance of the victory reaches beyond the regional rivalry, especially as Scotland now have a vice grip on bragging rights. They've won a fourth successive contest against Ireland, including at both of the last two qualifying events, and their development appears to have leapfrogged the Celtic counterparts. Which may be why, though Fraser openly expressed her "joy", she also wasn't entirely taken aback by their performance.
"We saw it coming," she said. "We beat Ireland in Nepal earlier this year, obviously, so I think we took a lot of confidence from that result. Going in we knew it would be a tough game but we also knew that we needed to back ourselves to get the win."
Not only did Scotland do that, they dominated, too. The Bryce sisters played complementarily-paced innings - Kathryn 25 off 19 balls while Sarah was 10 off 12 at the halfway mark - to steady things and then Sarah targeted the Irish legspinner Cara Murray. She took 20 runs off Murray's second over, including two cover drives and a six over long-on, to speed past Kathryn and begin the acceleration. It was Kathryn who got to the half-century but Sarah's 35-ball 49 was equally important in ensuring that the late innings taper still meant Scotland had enough. They scored no boundaries in the last three overs and just 14 runs.
Then they had to defend their score and that is where Scotland's superiority was best displayed. After Kathryn broke through early, it was Fraser's offspin and former England left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon who did the damage. Between them, they bowled eight overs, conceded 35 runs and took six wickets. Fraser started the slide with a lovely delivery that tempted the Irish captain Gaby Lewis into charging down the track at her. When Lewis missed, Sarah broke the stumps.
But it was Gordon who left Ireland in tatters when she took three wickets in four balls in her third over to stamp her return to the international stage - as a Scot. Gordon, born in the Scottish town of Huntly, played five T20Is for England in the 2018 T20 World Cup and a Test in 2019 before playing for Scotland was a viable option. But her heart was always at home and Fraser could see that as they stood together when Flower of Scotland played.
"I was next to her during the anthem and I said to her, 'that was amazing, just being able to sing the anthem' and obviously with so many Scottish supporters today," Fraser said. "I think all of us were pretty emotional but the way she bowled today was incredible. She embodies Scottish passion. She was brilliant with the run she got us on and it definitely got us ahead in that ball game."
After Gordon's triple-wicket over, Ireland were 70 for 6, and needed 92 runs off seven overs, which, even with Orla Prendergast at the crease was going to be a tough task. Prendergast, who scored 33, called the defeat "absolutely gutting" especially as "this is a game we've looked at for a long time and Scotland are a team that we know we can beat." Although the scoreline doesn't reflect it, she still believes Ireland have what it takes to take some games down at this tournament. "There's a different feel in the squad coming into this World Cup. We are a way better side than we showed," Prendergast said.
The last time Ireland were at a T20 World Cup was in 2023, where they were newly professionalised, underprepared and overawed by the occasion. They have four more matches to show how that has changed. Scotland looked similar to the way Ireland have just been described in their first four World Cup matches in the UAE and have already turned the page, and in a much shorter period of time.
For Fraser, it's the result of a solid domestic programme and the payoff from years of sacrifice that has come to fruition. "It shows the investment that Scottish cricket's put into us and just shows the talent of the individuals in this group," she said. "We've spent so much of our careers not being professional cricketers, with people training after work and having to take on paid leave to come and play for Scotland. That has been difficult, but now that we've got those professional contracts, we are able to put in the hours over the winter and obviously getting time away is much easier. Hopefully this really does put a mark and shows we are here to win games and other opposition don't take us lightly."
Scotland have four days before their next match, against West Indies in Leeds on Thursday. They have only played them once before, at the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they lost by six wickets but this time believe they are going in with "a bit of momentum" as Fraser said and the memories of what is possible.
"I had so much fun. I was able to take moments throughout the day to just take a breath and realise how special it is. I had a great time."