Huntly, a small town an hour’s drive north of Aberdeen, doesn’t produce traditional athletes.

Its most famous sporting export is John Henderson, the quintessential stereotype of a darts player. And while Kirstie Gordon, England’s latest left-arm spin sensation, is about as classical an exponent of the art as they come, her career path has been anything but typical.

Gordon learnt her trade at the local cricket club, known for its excellent girls’ section, and made her Scotland debut at the age of 14, par for the course for countries with shallow talent pools when they unearth a gem. It’s rarely long until a decision has to be made, opportunity versus patriotism, and nine months ago, Gordon, forced to choose between representing Scotland at the World T20 Qualifier or declaring herself available for England in hope of securing a Kia Super League deal, took the plunge.

Maybe her ascent to the top has been so fast that she’s not had time to take it all in yet, but her level head should serve her well, and has allowed her not to be too downtrodden by a back stress fracture which she struggled with during the World T20, and which has since ruled her out until the start of the summer.

“Some games were worse than others,” she says. “Against West Indies in the last group game I was in a lot of pain and I had back spasms. We didn’t really know what the deal was. It wasn’t until I came back that we realised that it was a stress fracture.

“Now I’m just trying to work really hard to get myself fit for the county season and then see whether I can get myself selected for the West Indies in June. I thought it would be quite tedious and that I’d get bored after a few weeks but I’m actually really enjoying it. It’s a good opportunity for me to get really robust and strong and prevent getting another injury.”

It’s easy to forget that you’re speaking to someone who is still doing an undergraduate degree, trying to balance deadlines and her responsibilities as a professional athlete with making the most of student life.

“I remember in the first and second year asking myself, ‘why am I sacrificing nights out to get up at 7am and do a running session?’, whereas now I’m not seeing it as a sacrifice. I’m seeing it as ‘this is what I’ve chosen to do’, and if that means I don’t drink alcohol or I don’t do this then that’s alright. I think that’s been a really big attitude shift that has probably helped me get to where I am in the last 6-9 months.”

After the 2018 Gordon had, she’s certainly earned herself a drink or two.