Ahead of the Under 15 Girls setting off for Sri Lanka on Sunday, Ella Gill reflects on the 2023 trip for this year's tour brochure.

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"The tour to Sri Lanka was a life-changing opportunity where I have personally gained from amazing cricket and cultural experiences.

"I knew that travelling to Sri Lanka would also come with its challenges and I was aware that I would have to make a variety of adjustments to ensure that I could take advantage of the conditions and play my best game."

"On arriving in Sri Lanka, I immediately had to adjust to the heat and humidity. I had never previously played in conditions such as these, so I had to take responsibility for myself and sensibly and appropriately respond to how my body was constantly reacting and adapting to the climate.

"During our first training sessions in the MCA indoor training facility, we all realised that it wasn’t going to be easy, physically, and mentally. We can all agree that we have never drunk so many bottles of water in our lives!

"Across the six games that we played, it was amazing to see the development of the team and how we came together to apply our new knowledge and skills on the pitch, a true reflection of our determination and togetherness as a team.

"We started the tour with a loss; however, this only pushed us on to improve as a team and individually. Despite the loss, it was evident that as a team we all felt a strong sense of achievement and pride after still managing to put in a fighting performance against a strong Sri Lankan district team.

"This set us off on a good note for what we knew was going to be a very special tour and from this point, the team went from strength to strength. We really were so lucky to be playing at some amazing grounds and against pretty strong opposition.

"With every match, new opportunities arose, and everybody had the chance to put in some great individual performances, but these could only happen with the support of the coaching team. Throughout the duration of the tour and across the six matches, the coaches worked with a rotational system, which meant that we all had the chance to utilise our skills and perform in all aspects of the game.

"Although getting the experience of being able to play cricket in a foreign country, with different conditions was the main point of the tour, another amazing aspect to the tour, which I personally hold equally as important, was seeing the true spirit of cricket on show, from teams from very different cultures and backgrounds.

"All the players from the opposition were so kind to us and treated us with nothing but respect. You could tell that playing us, a touring side was as equally as big of an opportunity for them, as it was for us, and we were all so grateful to be sharing so many unforgettable memories with our new Sri Lankan cricketing friends.

"Once the matches had finished, the competitive spirit was immediately swapped for nothing but pure joy and friendliness. I was extremely grateful to be able to meet the opposition after the matches and share some very special moments with them, that will stay with me throughout my cricketing career.

"One of my highlights on the tour was seeing the smiles on my teammates and the opposing teams' faces, when we came together after the match, no matter the result. After one game, the opposition were so honoured and happy to play against us that we all got asked for pictures before boarding the bus back to the hotel. We felt like celebrities! I was grateful to be in that moment, witnessing first-hand how cricket can bring people together and build relationships - which is exactly what this tour has done."