Lorna Jack-Brown, the Scottish cricketer who also busts drug cartels

Lorna Jack BrownHer job as a police officer in Edinburgh has taken her through dark alleys. In 2018, as it took a mental toll, she decided to retire from international cricket.

After almost quitting the sport, Jack-Brown, the wicketkeeper-batsman, has been able to fulfill a 'lifelong dream' of playing in Scotland's first ever T20 World Cup. On Sunday, against England in Sharjah, she will retire as Scotland's most successful female cricketer, ending a career that would have lasted almost 18 years.

At the age of 31, a full-time career in the police beckons.

“If I've been able to play this far, it's only because I got help when I needed it,” Jack-Brown reflects. “I realized that my work was gradually taking its toll on me. When it reached a stage where I was refusing to train, having panic attacks and looking for reasons not to play cricket, I knew something was wrong.”

Jack-Brown sought help by registering with a mental health facility. They discovered that her stress triggers were due to her police work. As a domestic and sexual abuse officer, Jack-Brown says she's seen “all kinds of not-so-nice things.”

“Not that it's really a nice crime,” she quickly adds. “I've definitely been through a few doors and seen a few crime scenes that I never want to see again. I've had to bust drug cartels. I've been thrown in front of a bus; I've had knives thrown at me. I think the only thing I have left is I haven't experienced is someone throwing a gun at me, which I'm grateful for.”

The way Jack-Brown describes these “interesting experiences” could make her a good screenwriter for a crime series. She laughs off all questions when asked if it is a career waiting to be explored. Her resilience and mental strength are impressive.

“It's just hard to understand some of the sights and some of the experiences that I've had,” she says. “Even if I tried to describe it to some of my teammates, they would say, 'Sorry, what did you do?' But yeah, I think it's not just physical. It takes an absolute mental toll.”

This journey as a police officer was completely accidental. After completing a degree in physical education in 2015-2016, Jack-Brown worked for Carnival Cruise Lines in America for nine months, “enjoying all the adventure that life has to offer a twenty-something straight out of college.”

“It allowed me to see places I would otherwise never be able to see. I had the time of my life. But my nature is such that I always want to do something different. When I came back from America, a family friend suggested suggested to me the possibility of joining the police.

“They were like, you can apply to be a special agent but you don't get paid, or you can apply for the full-time position where you have to pass an exam. I said, 'bring it on.' And the next thing I realize is that I have prepared and cracked this exam and joined the police force [in 2017].”

After seven years of juggling two demanding careers, Jack-Brown decided in April, shortly after Scotland qualified for the World Cup, that she would draw the curtains on part of her professional career.

“If we hadn't qualified, that urge to compete in another world tournament might have taken over,” she says. “But I'm very happy with my decision. I've got some issues on my shoulder, some niggles that I need to sort out before I can pick up a cricket bat or throw a ball again.

“But yeah, just because I'm retiring from international cricket doesn't mean I'm going to stop playing. It's a good time to take a step back and share with my wife, who is also a police officer, to give breathing space.” because being away at cricket tournaments in recent years meant she gave up all her paid leave to look after our daughter and dogs.'

Jack-Brown is also focused on further developing her young police career.

“I want to become a sergeant and then hopefully an inspector,” she says. “I also want to delve into the other units and then gain as much experience as possible and then start to rise through the ranks if I can. But yes, that is a journey of twenty years looking ahead.”

For now, Jack-Brown is happy living up to her image as the 'bad cop' on the cricket field. “The other daywhen [Tazmin] Brits got out, I was celebrating the game and then suddenly her head snaps back to look at me. She kept staring at me, so I thought, “I'll keep staring at you too.”

“We are also here to play in the big leagues, but that does not mean we are cocky and arrogant [laughs]. It's just that I'm having fun in my last few games.”

Jack-Brown has also been busy planning trips with her parents, who have flown to Dubai to watch her wind down a momentous career.

“Yesterday we were at Dubai Mall, we have the desert safari to look forward to,” she says. “A few days of sightseeing, my last match and they'll be on the same flight home as us. I was recently asked, 'Don't you want to give your mother the business class seat? And I was No, I don't. I've been on this team for 15 years and I've never had a business class flight. It's probably my reward [laughs] because I didn't give up, I deserve it.”