(Cricket news) Irish international Amy Hunter struck 69 from 50 balls as the Dragons comfortably chased down the Typhoons total in the Arachas Super T20 Trophy. The 16-year old wicketkeeper-batter from Belfast looked in imperious form as she struck six boundaries and two sixes in her 65-minute knock. Hunter had missed out on the recent internationals against South Africa due to exams, but was named earlier in the week in the Ireland Women’s squad to face Australia and Pakistan later in the month. Her form will be heartening for head coach Ed Joyce ahead of a tough series ahead.

Paul then claimed a third wicket in her subsequent over, getting through Stokell’s defences and knocking back her middle stump. With spin in the ascendancy, leg-spinner Cara Murray was introduced and slid one in one Georgina Dempsey to strike the in-form batters back pad. After a strangely mutated appeal, Dempsey was given out by umpire Paul Reynolds and the Typhoons had collapsed from 29-0 to 41-4 in 18 balls. Needing a stabilising innings, Typhoons captain Laura Delany stepped forward and began to counter-attack. She brought up her half-century from just 37 balls, featuring seven boundaries. The Irish skipper showed no signs of her recent injury as she commanded the middle overs, joined by her fellow Leinster CC clubmate Ava Canning (26*) in an 84-run fifth wicket stand.

Despite losing late wickets, including Delany for 53 (from 42 balls), the Typhoons went into the innings break slightly the more satisfied, having recovered from the loss of those four quick wickets to post 137-6 at the end of 20 overs.In response, the Dragons opening pair of Paul and Hunter were motoring from the outset. 28 runs came from the first three overs as the batters dominated a bowling attack that missed their mark early. Waldron was a surprise choice to bowl the opening over, but after 10 runs were struck, Typhoons skipper Delany reverted to her frontline seamers of Canning and Dempsey. The team in Red brought up a fifty-run opening stand inside the powerplay, but just as they were looking in total control Paul dragged a pull-shot straight to mid-on where a running Celeste Raack took a well-judged catch.

Hunter was named Player of the Match.

MATCH SUMMARY

Typhoons v Dragons, Arachas Super 20 Trophy, Observatory Lane, 6 July 2022

Typhoons 137-6 (20 overs; L Delany 53; L Paul 3-23)

Dragons: 138-5 (18.2 overs; A Hunter 69, S Forbes 35; C Raack 3-22)

Dragons won by 5 wickets

Also read: Root, Bairstow script England's sensational win against India in 5th Test

(Cricket news) Cricket Ireland has today announced a 14-player squad for Ireland Women’s T20 International series against Australia and Pakistan to be played at Bready Cricket Club from 16-24 July 2022, while a new national selection panel has been established for the senior women’s squad. Ireland Women will see the return of a number of high-profile players, after the recent six-match series against South Africa which saw eight players from the senior performance squad missing due to injuries or exams. Laura Delany and Orla Prendergast are both making a welcome return from injuries, while Ava Canning and Amy Hunter missed the previous series due to exam commitments.

Meanwhile, selector Cathy Murphy will be stepping down from her role effective immediately – advising her professional commitments are making it increasingly difficult to juggle a career with the growing demands of the role. A new national selection panel has been announced with Carrie Archer remaining as the Chair of National Women’s Selectors. Carrie will be joined by the three Arachas Super Series head coaches – Glenn Querl, James Cameron-Dow and Paul Davidge, with head coach Ed Joyce completing the new five-member panel.

Ireland Women’s T20I squad for Tri-Series:

Laura Delany (capt), Ava Canning, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Arlene Kelly, Gaby Lewis, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast,        Rebecca Stokell.
 
Carrie Archer, Chair of National Women’s Selectors, said: “We were pleased to see numerous strong performances during the recent South Africa series and, combined with the return of several players to the player pool after exams or injury, it has certainly made for several tough decisions on selection. However, these selection challenges only serve to underscore the positive fact that we are on the right track in the development of an increased talent pool to choose from in Ireland.

“Indeed, several players who missed out on this squad can consider themselves unfortunate, but certainly not out of contention for further opportunities, particularly in the lead up to T20 World Cup Qualifier in September. We have a lot to play for and a lot of players to see, especially with so many Super Series games ahead, as well as further internationals ahead of the tournament.”

On the new selector panel, she said: “We are pleased to welcome the three new members of the reconstituted national selectors panel with a busy period ahead for the women’s squad. We bid a fond farewell to Cathy Murphy as she steps down as a selector. Cathy has been an incredibly diligent and dedicated voluntary selector for several years and has been a key part of the selection team that has helped to identify talent and grow the talent pool across Ireland. Cathy has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role and her input and unique insights have been highly valued by the panel. Her contributions will be sorely missed. She will step away with pride at being part of the move to a new era for women’s cricket in Ireland.”

Women’s summer tri-series

16 July 2022: Australia Women v Pakistan Women – T20I (Bready; start time 4pm)
17 July 2022: Ireland Women v Australia Women – T20I (Bready; start time 4pm)
19 July 2022: Ireland Women v Pakistan Women – T20I (Bready; start time 4pm)
21 July 2022: Ireland Women v Australia Women – T20I (Bready; start time 4pm)
23 July 2022: Pakistan Women v Australia Women – T20I (Bready; start time 4pm)
24 July 2022: Ireland Women v Pakistan Women – T20I (Bready; start time 4pm)
 
TICKETS AND LIVESTREAM

Tickets are available to buy online at www.cricketireland.ie/tickets. Adults are £5, Under-16s free.

All matches will be livestreamed on www.livestream.com/CricketIrelandLive 

Also read: Eden Hazard to play in a new position at Real Madrid next season

(Cricket news) Cricket Ireland selectors have named a 14 player squad for Ireland Women’s upcoming six match multi-format tour against South Africa Women in Dublin next month. Four uncapped players could potentially be making their debuts as head coach Ed Joyce will be without eight of his 20 senior squad members due to injuries or school/college exams. 

In the absence of regular captain Laura Delany (recovering from injury), Gaby Lewis will lead the international side for the first time. While still only 21, Lewis has amassed 88 caps so far and is Ireland Women’s fifth-highest run-scorer across all formats. She also became the first child of a former Irish cricket captain to lead her country, following in the footsteps of her father Alan Lewis who led Ireland Men 35 times.

The four potential debutants are Alana Dalzell (Bready CC/Dragons), Sarah Forbes (YMCA CC/Dragons), Arlene Kelly (Malahide/Dragons) and Kate McEvoy (YMCA/Dragons) – while Jane Maguire is also in line to make her T20I debut, if selected.

SQUAD

The Ireland Women’s squad for the T20Is and ODIs against South Africa is:

Gaby Lewis (captain), Alana Dalzell, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Sarah Forbes, Shauna Kavanagh, Arlene Kelly, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Kate McEvoy, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Celeste Raack, Mary Waldron.

Carrie Archer, Chair of National Women’s Selectors, said: “Despite the introduction of contracts, we have a large portion of this year’s performance squad in education and completing important exams at the time of this series. In addition, Eimear Richardson was unavailable for this series and a number of key players are rehabilitating from injuries, including Laura Delany, Rebecca Stokell, Orla Prendergast and Hannah Little. With the long-term in mind, particularly with the significant volume of international cricket ahead, we believe that it was more important to adhere to player’s treatment plans than to try and rush them back.

“When selecting squads, the Selectors seek to maintain a balance between the immediate needs and priorities with long-term planning. We’ve selected a 14-player squad that features five players who will potentially make debuts. We are excited about the inclusion of these potential debutants, but at the same time acknowledge that there’s a lot of years of experience missing.

“We will be facing one of the world’s top-ranked teams, and this is our first outing in the ICC Championship. While the selectors had met a number of weeks ago to confirm the squad, the further injury to Orla Prendergast forced us to consider options that would maintain our competitiveness on the field. As such, despite only recently arriving in Ireland, we have included Arlene Kelly for this series. Arlene brings a wealth of experience and adds depth to the squad as an all-rounder. Her immediate impact upon the Arachas Super Series demonstrated her talent and as an Irish passport-holder she is available to declare for Ireland immediately.

“Despite the challenges, the squad will still feature a number of senior players who have a wealth of experience – Gaby Lewis, Shauna Kavanagh and Mary Waldron have 335 caps between them. We wish Gaby and her team the best for the challenge ahead and have no doubt under Ed Joyce’s leadership they will have prepared meticulously.”

Gaby Lewis, stand-in captain of Ireland Women, said: “While it’s unfortunate that we are without our skipper Laura Delany, it’s an absolute honour to be asked to captain Ireland for the first time. The opportunity to take on one of the world’s leading sides is one I am relishing, and I know the squad is looking forward to the challenge. One of the benefits of a competitive domestic Super Series is that – even with up to nine players missing - we are still able to bring in a talented group of players as cover, showing that we are growing our player pool and developing our emerging talent in the right way.”

FIXTURES

The series dates are:

3 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 1st T20I (Pembroke, 4.30pm start)
6 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 2nd T20I (Pembroke, 4.30pm start)
8 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 3rd T20I (Pembroke, 4.30pm start)
11 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 1st ODI (Clontarf, 10.45am start)
14 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 2nd ODI (Clontarf, 10.45am start)
17 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 3rd ODI (Clontarf, 10.45am start)

Also read: RCB look to win their first IPL as they face LSG in the Eliminator

(Cricket news) Ahead of a busy summer campaign against a number of the world’s top sides, Ireland Women’s head coach Ed Joyce will be taking the senior performance squad to Spain for an intensive weeks’ warm weather training camp from 21-27 April 2022. The performance squad will train at the Desert Springs Cricket Ground, in Almeria, as they build up to a summer of cricket that will feature fixtures against South Africa, Pakistan and the newly-crowned ICC Women’s World Cup winners, Australia.

Nineteen players (with the exception of Eimear Richardson who is in New Zealand) will travel to the camp for the week for sessions covering technical skills, bowling and batting, strength and conditioning, and both individual and group activities.

Speaking ahead of the trip, head coach Ed Joyce said: “We haven’t played a game or trained on grass wickets since the World Cup qualifiers in late 2021, so this is an opportunity to get outside in sunny weather (hopefully) and get some realistic skills work in before the Super Series starts in May, and South Africa visit in June. We are bringing the entire Performance Squad, minus Eimear Richardson, so we will be able to have a mix of nets and centre wicket/practice matches on the trip.

“A large part of the trip is just getting the winter out of the legs and being used to playing on grass again. We are also working on lots of specific things with the batting, bowling and fielding group which we can continue. These include practising against high-pace for our batters, variations for our seamers, and specific types of catching and throwing for the fielding group.

“The players have worked incredibly hard all winter on all aspects of their game, especially on fielding where we have utilised the indoor 4G surface at the IRFU HP Centre in the Sport Ireland Campus. I’m really happy with the attitude, commitment, and improvements that we’ve made. This camp will be an opportunity to further hone these skills on grass leading into a very exciting 2022 summer.”

And has the recent ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand provided any insights for upcoming opponents?

“We all watched a lot of the World Cup. The games were incredibly close, it was a fantastic spectacle. Some of the catching was brilliant, and we are trying to improve this area of our game. It’s been noticeable how the teams with faster bowlers have used the short ball, so we need to prepare for that to some degree. We are also aware that our batters need to be able to manipulate spinners for singles to a greater skill level than we possibly showed last year.

“It has been very useful to see the teams that we will play this season in Ireland in action too. Our conditions here mightn’t be the same as in New Zealand at the World Cup, but we can still see how teams like to operate and get some useful information that way.”

Training camp squad

Laura Delany, Shauna Kavanagh, Sophie MacMahon, Cara Murray, Celeste Raack, Mary Waldron, Ava Canning, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Jane Maguire, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca Stokell. Rachel Delaney, Sarah Forbes, Hannah Little, Kate McEvoy.

Coaching and support staff: Ed Joyce, Glenn Querl, Beth Healy, Greg Hollins, Catherine Simpson, Jay Shelat

Also read: Dinesh Karthik, Shabaz Ahmed lead RCB to stellar chase against RR

(Cricket news) The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Women’s team will visit Ireland for a two-match white-ball series against Ireland Women’s Select XI and Leinster President’s XI in July – with Irish players set to feature on both sides of the contest.

These fixtures are the first time that an MCC Women’s side has visited Ireland, and it is expected that up to three Irish players will feature in the MCC squad.

Ed Joyce, Head Coach of Ireland Women, said: “MCC Ireland have had men’s tours for a long time, and so it felt that now was the right time to request a women’s tour with the national side in the ICC Women’s Championship. We are grateful to everyone at MCC Ireland, Cricket Leinster, and the MCC itself, for making this tour happen.”

“These games are set to be more high-quality fixtures for some of our players - the more games and experiences like this our players have, the better. We’ll select the Ireland Women’s Select XI squad closer to the time, but the squad will likely feature a mixture of players from the senior performance squad and our younger development squad.”

“I would certainly love if this tour could become a regular feature of the calendar. As I said before, the more quality games we get for our High Performance squads annually, the better in my opinion. Hopefully we could make it a longer trip in future!”

Kari Carswell, Head of Women’s Cricket at the MCC, said: “The MCC Women’s section is very excited by this opportunity to play an Irish side this year – and we hope to welcome three Irish players into our ranks for these matches. Women’s cricket in Ireland is improving year-on-year, and we hope this can become an annual feature of our playing calendar.

“Women’s cricket globally is on the rise and I see these sorts of tours as providing positive experiences to those involved – on both sides, and giving people lots of opportunities to fulfil their potential.”

The fixtures are:

11 July: Ireland Women XI v MCC Women (T20 match; Merrion Cricket Club, start 5pm)
12 July: Leinster President’s XI v MCC Women (50-over match; Pembroke Cricket Club, start 11am)

Also read: Cricket Ireland unveil professional contracts for women

(Cricket news) Cricket Ireland today unveiled its first-ever full-time professional contracts for Ireland Women as part of a €1.5M investment in the women’s game – and announced three of the world’s best teams would tour Ireland this summer.

The key announcements at today’s event were:

1) 20 women’s playing contracts have been offered - seven full-time, nine part-time/educational and four non-retainer contracts

2) Cricket Ireland’s investment in the women’s game is now €1.5M a year – triple the expenditure from pre-pandemic 2019

3) Ireland Women will host Australia, South Africa and Pakistan at home this summer

Head Coach Ed Joyce has signed a three-year contract extension

PLAYING CONTRACTS

20 playing contracts have been offered in 2022:

International (full-time) contracts

Laura Delany, Shauna Kavanagh, Sophie MacMahon, Cara Murray, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Mary Waldron.

Education (part-time) contracts

Ava Canning, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Jane Maguire, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca Stokell.

Non-retainer contracts

Rachel Delaney, Sarah Forbes, Hannah Little, Kate McEvoy.
 
All full-time contracts commence in March 2022 and represent Ireland’s first-ever fully-professional women cricketers, and just the second women’s national team in Ireland to introduce full-time, year-round playing contracts.

Education contracts are designed to work around players who are at school full-time or studying at a tertiary level. Players on these contracts gain a significant living allowance to ensure they do not need to find a job during their education years, and can instead concentrate on their cricket. Most of these players will be effectively full-time in the summer holidays.

Non-retainer contracts offer players loss of earnings and match fees, 12-month medical and healthcare insurance, sports science support (strength and conditioning, psychology, performance analysis, nutrition and lifestyle management), specialist coaching support, and for ROI-based players, full access to the Sport Ireland Institute.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S PROGRAMME 2022

Ireland Women have an intensely busy year ahead, with three visiting teams, a T20 World Cup Qualifier and a major tour in late 2022.

South Africa series

3 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 1st T20I (Pembroke)
6 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 2nd T20I (Pembroke)
8 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 3rd T20I (Pembroke)
11 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 1st ODI (Clontarf)
14 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 1st ODI (Clontarf)
17 June 2022: Ireland Women v South Africa Women – 1st ODI (Clontarf)

The three ODIs will be Ireland Women’s first fixtures as part of the ICC Women’s Championship.

Women’s summer tri-series

16 July 2022: Australia Women v Pakistan Women – T20I (Bready)
17 July 2022: Ireland Women v Australia Women – T20I (Bready)
19 July 2022: Ireland Women v Pakistan Women – T20I (Bready)
21 July 2022: Ireland Women v Australia Women – T20I (Bready)
23 July 2022: Pakistan Women v Australia Women – T20I (Bready)
24 July 2022: Ireland Women v Pakistan Women – T20I (Bready)

The ICC are yet to confirm the dates of the T20 World Cup Qualifier, and details of the Ireland Women’s tour to a major full-member nation in late 2022 will be announced in due course (see below for further points of interest about these series).

HEAD COACH SIGNS EXTENSION

Ireland Women’s head coach Ed Joyce has signed a three-year contract extension. Joyce took over the role on an interim basis in July 2019, before being appointed full-time later that year.

The Ireland Women’s squad now has a strong core of full-time coaching and support staff dedicated to the senior side, including:

Performance & Pathway Coach: Glenn Querl
Team Operations Manager: Beth Healy
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Greg Hollins
Physiotherapist: Catherine Simpson
Performance Analyst: Jay Shelat

In further support, the recently announced high performance specialist coaches for Ireland Men – Gary Wilson and Ryan Eagleson – will provide periodic support to the women’s programme as part of their roles, as will the yet to be appointed specialist spin bowling coach.

Also read: Axar Patel set to return as India eye Test series win over Sri Lanka

INVESTMENT

From 2016-2019 the annual investment in women’s cricket was approximately €500K per annum. In 2022, the annual investment will triple to €1.5M.

Expenditure is holistic, demonstrating a strategic approach to the women’s game, and includes areas such as: player contracts and match fees, coaching and support staff salaries, cost of home and away fixtures, uniforms, equipment, venue hire, nutrition and lifestyle management, talent pathway, Academy and Super Series costs.

In addition to this is further investment in the grassroots of the sport which benefits girls and mass participation programmes.

Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, said: “Last year we released our new Strategic Plan and our first-ever Women’s & Girls Cricket Action Plan. Both of these documents outlined Cricket Ireland’s national commitment to growing the sport from grassroots to elite levels. Today’s announcements underline our deep commitment to women’s and girls’ elite cricket and put us firmly on the path of not only becoming a major nation in world cricket, but a major sport in Ireland.

“However, the work behind-the-scenes to get to this point has - in reality - been three years in the making. Coming off the back of the team’s performance at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2018, we – as an organisation – committed ourselves to a journey to professionalise women’s cricket. It was not only a good thing to do, it was the right thing to do. Women’s cricket’s time has come around the world – we’ve seen the incredible growth and professionalisation of the women’s game across several major nations like Australia, England and India and the strong focus on female cricket in the new ICC strategy. It’s now Ireland’s turn.

“We are today only the second women’s sport in Ireland to offer 12-month, full-time contracts after the Rugby 7s squad – and this we are intensely proud of. If in the past our focus was primarily on men’s senior cricket, now our focus is equally on the women’s game as the shopfront for advancing our sport. Today we proudly boast a national women’s squad that features full-time central contracts. This is almost the exact path the men’s game followed a decade ago – albeit the progress of the women’s programme will advance at a quicker pace.

“It may surprise many people to hear that the first evidence of women’s cricket in Ireland dates back 138 years, with Ireland Women playing their debut international in 1983. I would doubt that many of the women playing up until recent times would ever have dreamed we would be where we are today. That is progress and an organisation holding its hands up and acknowledging things have to change. That is where we are today, but this is not the destination, rather the start of a new era.”

Richard Holdsworth, High Performance Director for Cricket Ireland, said: “Today’s announcements demonstrate a clear intent to not only further develop our performance pathway, but now forge a career pathway for our women cricketers. To get where we are today has been a true journey - not a smooth journey, and certainly not a straightforward one, but we are finally seeing the delivery of commitments we have made over recent years.

“To see a €1.5 million spending commitment this year on the women’s performance programme is remarkable. We have tripled the annual budget of the programme since 2016, and this commitment has been achieved through hard work, research, consultation and seeking expert advice.

“However, it is important to note that today’s announcements are not a case of ‘done and dusted’. This is not a final destination. This is just the start of our new era. In 2021 our women’s senior side qualified for the ICC Women’s Championship – we don’t want to just compete in this competition once, we want to stay there. We want to entrench ourselves in the top ranks of the women’s game. Today may be the culmination of three years' work, but it also represents the first day of a new project. A project to keep us in the top tier and to not only participate, but truly compete against the top nations.

“Now, do we expect to be a top cricketing nation overnight? Of course not. However, with gradual and determined planning and programme development, we believe we can steadily make our way up the rankings and be a side of international renown. We’ll be ambitious, but realistic – we’ll seek opportunities, but remain grounded. We see women’s cricket only heading in one direction over coming years – growing at the elite level, and inspiring the next generation of girls at the grassroots. We want to live that well-worn phrase: If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.

“Not only are we excited to announce the investment and the contracts, but also the international fixtures this summer. South Africa, Australia and Pakistan. And these 10 home internationals this summer will be complemented by a T20 World Cup Qualifier and an exciting away tour against a Full Member nation. I believe we’ll look back on 2022 as a watershed year for women’s cricket in Ireland, and I hope we can inspire that new generation of youngsters to take up the sport.

“I congratulate all players receiving contracts in 2022, but like all important advancements in the sporting world, we have not achieved this on our own. We would like to thank Hanley Energy for their sponsorship support of the national side since 2017. We would like to thank the Irish Government and NI Executive – and their sports authorities, Sport Ireland and Sport NI – for their ongoing commitment and funding support for the women’s programme. Thanks also to the Irish Cricketers Association for working with us on this project, and to the Cricket Ireland High Performance Committee for their expertise, insight and guidance.”

Laura Delany, Ireland Women’s captain, said: “As a squad we are truly excited and thankful for this opportunity – it is something that many of us never would have dreamed of when we started out playing the sport we love. While thankful, though, we also acknowledge the hard work, sacrifice and commitment shown by the players to achieve the honour of representing our country at the highest levels.

“And, as fortunate as the players here today are for having this opportunity, we know that we are standing on the shoulders of the giants that came before us. For many years, legends of our Irish women’s cricket have fought hard to achieve successes on and off the field. To the generations of women who came before us, we say thank you. You have helped us get here today, and we hope we can do you proud.

“To the squad I say simply, enjoy it. Enjoy this opportunity – be thankful, but know that you’ve earned the right to stand where you are. This is Day One of what I hope is an incredible journey we will take together - it may get tough at times, it may be challenging, but it should be an experience like no other. To travel the world playing cricket for Ireland – there’s no better feeling.”

(Cricket news) The ITW Irish Cricket Awards 2022 will be digitally broadcast on Friday 25 February 2022 via Youtube, celebrating the year that international cricket returned to Ireland. Several shortlists have been revealed ahead of the event as part of the build-up. The event will be hosted by sports journalist and broadcaster Marie Crowe, supported by RTE’s John Kenny and former Ireland Men’s captain Kyle McCallan.

The event will see 15 award categories presented:

 ITW International Men’s Player of the Year
Hanley Energy International Women’s Player of the Year
Cricket Writers of Ireland Hall of Fame (three inductees)
Gibney’s Outstanding Contribution and Service to Irish Cricket, in honour of John Wright
HBV Studios Inter-Provincial Player of the Year
Arachas Super Series Player of the Year
Clear Currency Emerging Talent Award – Male
Clear Currency Emerging Talent Award - Female
Techfynder Cricket Official of the Year
Shapoorji Pallonji Outstanding Contribution to Coaching
Tildenet Club of the Year
O’Neill’s Club Male Player of the Year
O'Neill's Club Female Player of the Year
Turkish Airlines Groundskeeper of the Year
House of Waterford Crystal Volunteering Excellence Award

Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to once again celebrate a memorable year in Irish cricket. It was a year we returned to a sense of normality, a year international cricket returned to Ireland, and a year that was punctuated by reminders of what a great sport we have.

“From elite to grassroots levels, every cricketer and fan alike enjoyed the sights, sounds and celebration of cricket – and while there were too many favourite moments to mention, there was one day in May that stands out in my mind. The 24th of May at Stormont saw Ireland Women run out on the field of play for the first time in over 550 days – and it also coincided with the very first day spectators were allowed back to games. The feeling around the ground was one of joy and relief that the long wait had finally come to an end.

“The Women went on to win that series convincingly – and then finished the year by qualifying for the ICC Women’s Championship. Indeed, 2021 was an epochal year for women’s cricket in Ireland – it featured the release of our first-ever Women’s & Girls Cricket Action Plan, saw numerous on-field team and individual successes, and has seen major investment by Cricket Ireland into the women’s programme.

“Before you enjoy the Awards event this Friday, we would like to acknowledge the many people who played a part in Irish cricket during 2021 – we thank the many thousands of players, coaches, umpires, ground staff, match officials and volunteers who year-in, year-out ensure our sport continues to grow. Thanks also to our sponsors, business partners, Provincial Unions and venue partners for another successful year, and finally thanks to the many, many fans of Irish cricket in Ireland and around the world. Keep Backing Green.”

SHORTLISTS

While most winners and nominees will be revealed on the night, several shortlists are provided below ahead of the event:

Shortlist for the ITW International Men’s Player of the Year

Andrew Balbirnie
Josh Little
Simi Singh
Paul Stirling

Previous winners: Paul Stirling (2021, 2020, 2017), Tim Murtagh (2018), Ed Joyce (2016)

Shortlist for the Hanley Energy International Women’s Player of the Year

Laura Delany
Gaby Lewis
Leah Paul
Orla Prendergast

Previous winners: Laura Delany (2021, 2018), Eimear Richardson (2020), Gaby Lewis (2017), Ciara Metcalfe (2016)

Shortlist for the Tildenet Club of the Year

Balbriggan Cricket Club
Bready Cricket Club
Cork Harlequins
Drumaness Superkings
 
Previous winners: Limerick CC (2021), Pembroke CC (2020), Waringstown CC (2018), Waringstown CC (2017), Cork County CC (2016)

Also read: Ireland goes into T20 World Cup qualifier semi finals after win over Germany

(Cricket news) Cricket Ireland has today announced the Women’s Performance Squad and Women’s Development Squad for 2022, with Ireland Women’s head coach Ed Joyce stating there has been a need to further improve the talent pathway now that Ireland is the ICC Women’s Championship.

After the end of the recent ICC Women’s World Cup Global Qualifier it was confirmed that Ireland Women have qualified for the ICC Women’s Championship for the very first time. Just like the men’s Future Tours Programme, the Women’s Championship guarantees participating teams regular fixtures against high-ranked opponents in women’s cricket over a four-year cycle. 

A number of the changes in 2022 built upon work already started on evolving the women’s high performance programme to meet the needs of the national team in future years. The new changes include:

Reflecting the change in philosophy to the developmental or emerging talent programme through renaming the ‘Academy Squad’ to ‘Development Squad’; Refocusing the selection process and profile of the Development Squad to proactively seek to produce specific skill-sets required for the national team in future years; Appointing a Head Coach for the Development Squad; Organizing a programme of competitive fixtures annually for the Development Squad; and Dovetailing the training programme of the Development Squad with existing Super Series squad training programmes so they are complementary.

Ed Joyce, Ireland Women’s Head Coach, said: “It has been an enjoyable couple of years for me coaching the national women’s team. The pandemic has, of course, created challenges around the training and playing programme, but the commitment and ambition of the group has been incredible. The players should take a huge amount of credit for their attitude during this period. I’d also personally like to thank the management team for their support and energy. It’s a fun and committed group to be around, which is doubly important when dealing with ‘bubbles’ and ‘managed environments’ on tour. 

“One of our main aims going forward is to create a slightly deeper pool of players that will help the national team become more competitive on the field, and also feed into the Super Series competition. We need coaching and support services to achieve this, and Cricket Ireland have backed us with the addition of full-time staff – a  Physiotherapist, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Team Operations Manager, Assistant Coach, and Performance Analyst. 

“We are not finished yet, but gradually we are shaping the pathway to provide for our national needs – and the players are responding. However, the players also know that with increased support and structural improvements comes a greater level of expectation. This, though, I have no doubt they can handle, and am excited to see how far we can take this group as we enter a new phase.

“Below the international layer, we have made a change in the structure and emphasis of what was previously known as the ‘Academy Squad’ for 2022. It has been renamed as the ‘Development Squad’ as part of our shift in focus for our emerging talent, and with a view towards the ICC Under-19s Women’s World Cup in early 2023. 

“Glenn Querl will oversee the group as Head Coach, with annual fixtures being organised to provide high-quality competitive experience for the next tier of emerging talent.

“Now that the Super Series teams have their own training sessions before and during the season, this has offered us the opportunity to refine the purpose and profile of the Development Squad. The group will now have a slightly more youthful composition with selection targeting specific skill-sets that we need in Irish women’s cricket for the years ahead.

“While the Development Squad may still feature players with senior international experience who were unlucky to miss out on Performance squad selection, we believe the overall change will support our talent pathway twofold – by increasing depth in the Super Series competition in the short-term, and for the national side in the medium-to-long term.

“Amongst the 2022 squad named, there’s a heavy emphasis on spin bowlers especially, but there are also two wicketkeepers and some exciting all-rounders and pace bowling talent selected. Although some of the talent is quite raw, with a solid and structured training programme, these players will make a lot of progress in 2022.”

Women’s Performance Squad 2022

Laura Delany (captain) (Leinster CC), Eimear Richardson (Northern Districts), Gaby Lewis (YMCA CC), Celeste Raack (Merrion CC), Orla Prendergast (Pembroke CC), Leah Paul (Merrion CC), Mary Waldron (Pembroke CC), Shauna Kavanagh (Pembroke CC), Sophie MacMahon (Leinster CC), Rebecca Stokell (Leinster CC), Louise Little (Pembroke CC), Hannah Little (Pembroke CC), Cara Murray (Waringstown CC), Georgina Dempsey (Phoenix CC), Rachel Delaney (Merrion CC), Jane Maguire (The Hills), Amy Hunter (Malahide CC/Instonians), Ava Canning (Leinster CC), Kate McEvoy (YMCA CC), Sarah Forbes (YMCA CC).

Women’s Development Squad 2022

Anna Kerrison (Malahide CC), Zara Craig (Eglinton CC), Rebecca Gough (Rush CC), Siúin Woods (YMCA CC), Freya Sargent (Clontarf CC), Ella Pasley (Phoenix CC), Niamh MacNulty (Merrion CC), Kia McCartney (Coleraine CC), Aimee Maguire (The Hills), Joanna Loughran (Leinster CC), Sophie McDonough (Phoenix CC), Sam Todd (Lurgan CC), Abbi Harrison (Waringstown CC), Mollie Devine (Fox Lodge).
 

Also read: Vitality Blast set to celebrate 20th edition of T20 tournament

An experienced and competent coach can make all the difference in ensuring that a talented side achieves its potential and goes on to win trophies. Currently serving as Head of High Performance for the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Toby Radford is an experienced cricket coach who has previously worked with the West Indies team that won the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, Middlesex County Cricket Club and a ECB national coach.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Toby Radford speaks about the evolution of high performance coaching in sport, working with the West Indies team, Bangladesh’s performance at the T20 World Cup, being crowned the domestic T20 champions with Middlesex County Cricket Club, creating batting booth, advice for aspiring cricketers and more!

Q 1) How has the role of high performance coaching evolved / transformed over the years?

I set up the high performance academy at Middlesex about 20 years ago. I had a very young Steven Finn when he was just 15 or 16 years old. We also had the likes of Owen Morgan and Dawid Malan come along so working in high performance in those early days, it was very enjoyable to put the program together and work with those talented young players. After that Middlesex role I ended up in the high performance team in the West Indies which was brilliant, I really enjoyed that. A young Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel and quite a few of the players who are in the West Indian senior team currently. 

I think it’s always lovely to have high quality young players and in a way try to fast track them to perform at a higher level. Hopefully they always go on to play at a higher level and what you’re doing when you’re running a high performance centre is fast tracking them, getting them there quicker. I’m sure they would have reached their pinnacle anyway, it’s just the speed at which they get there.

Q 2) How was your experience being with the West Indies team especially when they won the T20 World Cup in 2012?

I had a fantastic experience being with the West Indies when we beat Sri Lanka in the final at Colombo. Some of the younger players coming through who I had worked with in high performance. It was the pinnacle for me in coaching which had developed during my Middlesex days to the West Indies days and then winning the World Cup. During the competition, we believed we could actually win the trophy and the team was well balanced. It was one of the most powerful T20 sides as Chris Gayle was at his peak and Darren Sammy was leading the team by example. There was a lot of pressure in the final as we were 20 off 3 and Marlon Samuels played a wonderful innings to take the team through and overall it was a great coaching experience for me with the team.

Q 3) The Bangladesh team has shown significant improvement during the 2021 season in Test matches, what are some of the changes that have taken place during this time?

I’ve worked with the high performance of the younger players and some of those lads are now coming into the side. Naim Shaikh has played quite well recently in the World Cup and the youngsters are getting into the shorter format but actually in the time that i have spent there when we run camps with the high performance team, we have talked about not just being good on your home pitches and home conditions but being very competitive away from home. Specifically with the batters, it was talking about right technique and being able to play the quicker bouncing or the swinging ball if you’re going to England. In terms of bowlers changing the lengths when they play away from home, mainly working with the team to be competitive away from home.

Q 4) The T20 World Cup this year saw the Bangladesh team suffering major defeats. What exactly was going on in the dressing room at the time of crisis?

It will be difficult for me to answer that since I don't work with the senior side. I work with the team underneath, I just wouldn't have the knowledge of what was going in the dressing room. I was following the game back in the UK just like how the rest of us were watching it, the team was a bit low on confidence and couldn’t get going on. I have  worked with many sides over the years in T20 and won domestic trophies and World Cups. You can get in a great place in a T20 where you know you are going to win, it's a confidence thing and likewise after a couple of losses the confidence goes away. The team got into a bit of a rut, low on confidence, couldn't get a win, even when you try too hard and it gets even worse. I have seen teams going through that where certain players couldn’t perform for whatever reason and that can happen to any player in any team around the world.

Also read: Whatever I have achieved is because of my process - Indian cricketer Atif Attarwala

Q 5) How was your experience at Middlesex County Cricket Club and how proud are you that the team were crowned domestic T20 Champions in 2008 while you were head coach?

It was great, the day of the finals was wonderful. The semifinal and the final were on the same day. We won the final off the last ball against Kent and it was unbelievable because we were there for the entire day and it went down to the wire. We needed a dot ball off the last one to win and we got it. It was a great day, I was very delighted for the players. It was a bit like the West Indies team that won the World Cup. That was a very balanced T-20 side. We had Murali Karthik who is a brilliant overseas spinner, Shaun Udal who played for England as an off spinner. We had a lot of high quality left hand batters like Andrew Strauss who would play when available, Ed Joyce international player. Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan who have obviously gone on to achieve big things at the international stage. 

We also had some pace in the form of Australian left arm seamer Dirk Nannes who used to put teams on the backfoot and pick up 2-3 wickets early on an. Then the likes of Karthik and Udal would come in the middle overs and make it difficult for oppositions to score. We were very balanced and we won virtually every game we played leading up to the final. I think we won 12 out of 14 matches which was amazing. A lovely personal day and great for the club who hadn't won a trophy in a while. Delighted for the players as well because they want to win trophies, that's why they play the game. The most bizzare thing happened in the dressing room afterwards when the Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe who was watching the game came into the dressing room. He gave a speech to the players, it was hilarious and surreal at the same time. It was a terrific day and great for the club.

Q 6) What made you think of creating an online platform like batting booth and how has it changed in a year?

It came around last year when the pandemic was at its worst. When I was working with the West Indies senior team, I was still living in the U.K and would travel to wherever the team was playing. In between series, to keep in touch with players, whether it was a Jason Holder or Roston Chase, I would ask them to send me footage of them batting in the nets so that I would be able to look at it back home. When the pandemic hit last year I thought players all over the world can't get to their coaches or their nets. Why not offer them the service I've been giving to international players which is to analyse their footage and be able to give them constructive criticism, areas to work on. That's why I added the batting booth to my website and it really took off. Players from all over the world send me their footage and I make recommendations, take still images and put some drawings which have been powerful. Even now when we have got back to hands-on coaching, I still do it which is great because players can access you and you can get back to them very quickly with some help.

Q 7) Can you give some tips to youngsters on how to enhance their game and what should the key focus area be?

I always believe in having very good basics. I was doing a presentation for some coaches up north and I talked about something called the five fundamentals. When you analyse the world's best batsmen, even though they have different shots, different flair and they might play a slightly different way, they all tend to meet the five key things. This fits Babar Azam, Virat Kohli and all the other great batsmen. They all tend to have their head on off stump when the ball is being released. They align their body back to the bowler's stump to keep themselves side onto the stumps. They control their bat with the top hand so the top hand is controlling the bat swing. They track the ball and don't move too early. They wait and wherever the ball ends up they move there, they wait for a long time. The last thing is that they play from a stable base because that gives you better control of the shot, better timing and better power. Those five things for me are the key when I have any youngster and I look at whether he is meeting those five things and if not can we try and make him meet them. If you meet those things then you are generally going to turn out to be a great player.

(Cricket news) The ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe has been abandoned due to travel restrictions, which means that qualification for the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 will be determined by world rankings.

As a result,

The teams who have qualified for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 to be held in New Zealand from 4 March to 3 April are Australia, England, India, South Africa, New Zealand (hosts), Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh.

The number of teams in the third cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship (from 2022-2025) has been increased from eight to ten, and these teams will be Australia, England, India, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ireland.

Richard Holdsworth, High Performance Director for Cricket Ireland, said: “We are disappointed for all the players and teams who are in Zimbabwe at the moment, but from a health and safety perspective this is the correct decision. We will now concentrate on working with the ICC in getting our squad home as soon as practicable.

“While it’s never the manner in which you hope to qualify for a competition, it is a big result for Ed Joyce and his squad to be part of the 2022-2025 Women’s Championship. It’s not an understatement to say it should see a fundamental change in women’s cricket in Ireland.

“However, today is a time not for celebrations, rather to concentrate on our team’s safe and timely repatriation home.”

Also read: Cricket commits to an action plan to tackle all forms of discrimination and racism

(Cricket news) A brilliant overall performance by Ireland Women’s skipper Laura Delany led her team to a win over the Netherlands in the second Group A clash of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier at the Sunrise Sports Club in Harare today.

Delany struck 75 from 75 balls and claimed 1-24 from 10 overs in a skillful display of leadership and guile. Ireland’s longest-serving captain has reached a different level under head coach Ed Joyce and today demonstrated why she is still a lynchpin of the squad she has been part of for 11 years. She not only rescued Ireland out with the bat from a tricky situation of 85-5, but turned spinned webs with the ball and removed Babette de Leede – and to top off her performance, she inflicted two Dutch run outs. Delany was deservedly named Player of the Match.

After losing the toss put in to bat first for the second straight game in the tournament, Ireland’s openers Gaby Lewis and Leah Paul gave their team a good start again with their second consecutive fifty run opening stand. The left-hand / right-hand combination was used to great effect as the pair regularly turned the strike over and didn’t allow the Dutch bowlers to settle on a consistent line and length.

Lewis was the aggressor in the partnership, looking formidable as she pounced on anything over-pitched, finding the boundary seven times in her innings of 46 from 47 balls. However, after seeing off the Netherlands seamers with ease, Lewis dragged a long hop from leg-spinner Caroline de Lange straight to mid-wicket – slapping her pads with her bat out of frustration at what was her first false stroke of the day.

With the score on 61-1 in the 13th over, Ireland’s batters were seemingly well set to push on for a big score, but just as they did during the last match against the West Indies, the girls in green lost wickets in clusters – with four wickets tumbling in the next five overs and Ireland teetering on 85-5.

Needing some cool heads and patient batting to recover the situation, it was left to captain Delany and the experienced Eimear Richardson to lead the fightback. The pair batted decisively, running their ones and twos well, and finding the boundary regularly. Their 85-run sixth wicket partnership was broken by leg-spinner Silver Siegers, with Richardson (27) falling leg before trying to sweep a quicker delivery.

Also read: Indian bowlers left frustrated after failing to get a single wicket after 57 overs on day 2

Delany struck her third international half-century in the 50-over format from just 47 balls, and looked to push on further after the loss of Richardson. The skipper punched two boundaries through the covers and looked to be ready to accelerate further until she played around her pad to Siegers to also fall leg before for 75 off 75 balls.

Siegers then cleaned up the tail, finishing with figures of 4-24, and Ireland was all out for 199 in the 42nd over.

Orla Prendergast started well with the ball, removing opener Juliet Post with an in-swinger that knocked back the off stump, but Babette de Leede (34) and Sterre Kalis (47) stabilised the innings with a 59-run second-wicket stand. While the Dutch batting was cautious, the Irish bowlers couldn’t find a breakthrough until Delany introduced herself and soon had de Leede back in the pavilion, feathering a catch through to Mary Waldron.

Kalis found renewed support after the loss of de Leede with the aggressive Robine Rijke joining her for a 73-run stand for the third wicket – a partnership that seemed to swing the momentum firmly in the direction of the Dutch side.

Then, with the score on 139-2 in the 39th over, the Dutch stumbled and the Irish side pounced on their opportunity. In all, eight wickets fell for just 31 runs in just over eight overs. First, a slew of running mix-ups saw no less than three run outs, and then opening strike bowler Prendergast returned to the crease with renewed vigour and demolished the tail. The Pembroke pace bowler took 4-24 with all of her wickets bowled.

These were Prendergast’s first international wickets in the 50-over format, and couldn’t have come at a more important juncture with the game balanced on a knife edge.

Richardson wrapped up the Netherlands innings with her first wicket of the day, but the team performance - under the on-field leadership of Delany – stood out most impressively, and going into Monday’s final Group Stage match against Sri Lanka, head coach Ed Joyce will be pleased with the way his side handled the pressure and saw out today’s win.

Ireland’s next match is on Monday at the same venue against Sri Lanka.

MATCH SUMMARY  

Ireland Women v Netherlands Women, Women’s World Cup Qualifier, Sunrise Sports Club, 25 November 2021  

Ireland 199 (41.5 overs: L Delany 75, G Lewis 46, E Richardson 27; S Siegers 4-24)

Netherlands 170 (48 overs: R Rijke 56; O Prendergast 4-24, L Delany 1-24)  

Ireland Women won by 29 runs

(Cricket news) Ireland Women’s skipper Laura Delany said today that her team is determined to use yesterday’s loss against the West Indies as motivation for their qualifying campaign ahead of tomorrow’s crucial match against the Netherlands in the ICC Women’s World Cup Global Qualifier.

Despite a great start to the match yesterday, Ireland eventually lost to the Caribbean side by 6 wickets, however, they fought all the way demonstrating a never-say-die approach to their game.

Speaking from the team hotel, Delany said: “Gaby [Lewis] and Leah [Paul] started off well yesterday, which is pleasing to see their good form continue on from the Zimbabwe tour from last month. They put on some great partnerships during that series, and have batted well together at the Super series level over the last two years. It’s great to see that translate into international performances at this level, and I hope they continue to cement their roles in the team as our opening pair in this format.

“After the opening stand, we then lost a few wickets in quick succession. As a batting unit we know that we are capable of a lot more and, hopefully, we will display this over the next few days.

“I was delighted to have Eimear [Richardson] back in the side after she missed last month’s tour - she’s a very skilled player, and has a lot of experience, so it’s great to have her back around the group.

“Our bowling attack bowled well in the middle period, but we didn’t take early wickets in order to build pressure, and Deandra Dottin played incredibly well. We just didn’t have enough runs on the board, but I was pleased with how the bowlers acquitted themselves and how we took it into the 40th over.

“I said yesterday after the match, we know we haven’t played our best cricket yet, and there are two matches still to go, so we’re looking ahead to Netherlands tomorrow and Sri Lanka on Monday to show what we can do.”

All fixtures in the Qualifier tournament will be live streamed through www.icc.tv.

The ICC Women’s World Cup Global Qualifier Squad:

Laura Delany (captain), Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.

Head coach: Ed Joyce
 
In addition, as part of Covid-19 protocols, the following players have been named as reserves: Sarah Forbes, Alana Dalzell and Kate McEvoy

Fixture schedule:

For the tournament proper, nine teams will compete for three places at the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup, set to be held in New Zealand (the tenth team, Papua New Guinea, withdrew and were not replaced in the draw).

Also read: India set out to seek revenge for the WTC final loss in 1st Test match against New Zealand

The Qualifier groups are:

Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands
Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA
 
As a consequence of the Papua New Guinea withdrawal, the playing schedule has been amended from previous advice. Ireland Women’s playing schedule is:

23 November: Ireland Women v West Indies Women (scorecard)

25 November: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 2, Old Hararians Sports Club; start 9.30am)

29 November: Ireland Women v Sri Lanka Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 3, Sunrise Cricket Club; start 9.30am)
 
The top three teams from each group go to the Super 6 stage, with group stage points carrying over to the next phase. From there, the top three after the Super 6 stage will qualify for the Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 being held in New Zealand next year, along with the hosts, Australia, England, South Africa and India, who have directly qualified for the event.

As a bonus, the top five teams will also qualify for the next edition of the ICC Women's Championship, which is expanding from eight teams to 10.

The ICC will livestream the matches on ICC.tv, as well as live scoring and providing a range of digital content.

If successful, this will be the first time that Ireland Women have played in a 50-over Cricket World Cup since 2005.

(Cricket news) The Ireland women’s cricket team is set to face West Indies at their first World Cup qualifier today with captain Laura Delaney speaking about the build-up, state of the squad and her message to the team before the action begins. The 28 year old has been Ireland womens’ longest serving captain (since 2016) and recently played her 150th match for the country. She was also named the International Women’s Player of the Month for October by the ICC for her performances in the 3-1 victory over Zimbabwe.

Speaking after training at Sunrise Sports Club today, Delany said: “The Thailand warm-up game was used as a settling-in practice match – we batted eleven, but gave all of our bowlers a run through and all 15 players in the squad had an opportunity to field and begin to re-acclimate to conditions. It gave particularly our bowlers the opportunity to increase their workloads, so while the result wasn’t what we wanted, it wasn’t the focus for us that day – it was more about getting our processes right and giving everyone an opportunity early on.”

“The second game was a really good game against Pakistan – we would have liked 20-30 more runs. We dropped a few chances early on, but our bowlers bowled really well and attacked the stumps. The main thing was that it was an intensely competitive game, which is just what we were looking for ahead of our first game against the West Indies tomorrow.”

“My message for the squad is that this is a brilliant opportunity for us to show the world what we can do. We had a great series against Zimbabwe last month, and had some great performances in a few T20 series in the summer. We will be coming up against a few sides we haven’t played in a long time, but for the younger players it will be their first time up against the likes of West Indies and Sri Lanka. The players just need to focus on their processes and make sure we deliver on the field what we have been working on in training – then, if we do, the outcome will take care of itself. Enjoy it, focus on processes and work together as a team – if we do that, we can pull off a few results.”

“It goes without saying that we are going to play our strongest batting and bowling line-up in every game – however, the personnel may change from match-to-match depending on who we are playing against and the wickets we’ll play on.”

The Squad is as follows:

Laura Delany (captain), Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.

Head coach: Ed Joyce

The Qualifier groups are:

Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands
Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA

As a consequence of the Papua New Guinea withdrawal, the playing schedule has been amended from previous advice. Ireland Women’s playing schedule is:

23 November: Ireland Women v West Indies Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 1, Old Hararians Sports Club; start 9.30am)

25 November: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 2, Old Hararians Sports Club; start 9.30am)

29 November: Ireland Women v Sri Lanka Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 3, Sunrise Cricket Club; start 9.30am)

Also read: Three takeaways from the India vs New Zealand T20 series as they begin their 2022 T20 World Cup preparations

(Cricket news) It was just over a month ago when Amy Hunter broke the record by becoming the youngest cricketer (men or women) to score an international century in a One Day International as the 16 year old scored 121 runs against Zimbabwe on October 11th which was also her birthday. She has now returned to Zimbabwe with the Ireland Women’s squad for the World Cup Qualifier tournament as her side take on West Indies, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands in the group stage. Ireland Women will also face off against Thailand and Pakistan in warm-up matches before the Qualifier fixtures begin.

Speaking after training at Old Georgians Sports Club today, Hunter said about that record-breaking innings: “It was pure relief and delight, to be honest. I found out about the record during the innings break, but didn’t fully understand how big it was until after the game. The girls and management were delighted for me as I’d obviously gone through a bit of a tough patch just previously. I had hardly done one interview before, so it was quite a shock to do all the ones that followed.

“It is not something that I ever would’ve expected and while it was an amazing experience, it was definitely new territory and unlike anything I’d experienced before. It was definitely a day I will cherish forever and never forget. It was a bit surreal to be honest, I have grown up watching Mithali Raj on TV so for her to tweet about me was an incredible feeling. I’ve worked pretty closely with Ed [Joyce] this season - primarily on game plans and mindset. I’ve always struggled with batting for long periods of time, but Ed has been invaluable to work with. The whole management team, particularly Ed and Glenn Querl (Assistant Coach) just told me to be really positive at the crease and back my skills. No one put pressure on me despite previous low scores, the girls were so supportive and just kept reassuring me and backing me.”

Having started playing cricket at the age of 8 at Instonians Cricket Club, Hunter played her first women’s Super Series match at the age of 11, leading to her selection for the Ireland Girls Under-15s and in 2017 was selected for the Ireland Girls Under-19s. Hunter said “Last November I was delighted to get my first national call-up – it was for a series against Scotland. Unfortunately that series didn’t go ahead due to Covid reasons, but in May this year the series was rescheduled and I made my international debut at Stormont in front of home supporters. It has been challenging to balance my studies with cricket, but school - Methodist College, Belfast - makes it relatively easy for me to work online when I’m away from home. I tend to work in the car to or from training if I have work to get done, but it isn’t too hard.”

During the time, Amy has also had the support of a Northern Irish athletics legend – Lady Mary Peters LG, CH, DBE, DstJ: “Yes, myself and Cara Murray are recipients of scholarships from the Mary Peters Trust. It has absolutely helped me, from making it easier to combine work and school to being able to attend more training sessions. I’m so grateful to the Mary Peters Trust for their continued support.”

While her debut series against Scotland was special, Hunter feels the Zimbabwe series was where she gained the most confidence in her game: “It was a great series for the girls, despite losing the first game we bounced back in great fashion. Personally, I just wanted to give myself a chance to get in and experience what international cricket was really like. The only real plan I had was to be really positive in my batting and to play my own game, taking bowlers on from the beginning. It was great to be able to bat with the likes of Gaby Lewis and Laura Delany. In the middle Gaby and I mainly just chatted about batting long but still showing intent to score runs and to enjoy it. She was so supportive of me and kept reassuring me with my plans.

“Laura is incredible - she’s absolutely clear about her plans, and I think this really helped me when I was out there as she helped me establish what I was trying to do and supported me in doing it. I’ve played a lot of cricket with Laura with the Typhoons in the Super Series - she’s an amazing person to play under, as regardless of how you are doing she will always back you. This season when I was struggling with the Typhoons, she kept reassuring me. Laura has definitely made me a better cricketer as I have and continue to learn so much from the way she goes about her game.”

Looking ahead to the qualifying tournament, Hunter said “Going into the Qualifier, we are hoping that if we play our best cricket we can come in the top five and qualify for the ICC Women’s Championship. This will be a huge step in the right direction for us as it will ensure we have regular fixtures against the best sides in the world.”

Also read: Kane Williamson opts out of T20 series vs India, to focus on Tests

(Cricket news) A 15 player squad has been announced for Ireland Women’s participation at the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe later this month. Laura Delaney is set to captain the side, having been named the ICC Player of the Month for October and Eimear Richardson (Player of the Tournament at the recent ICC Women’s T20 Europe Qualifier and ICC Women’s Player of the Month for August) will also return to the squad.

The squad is:

Laura Delany (captain), Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron. Head coach: Ed Joyce

Carrie Archer, Chair of National Women’s selectors, said: “Over the last few years, the hard work of Ed Joyce and the Cricket Ireland support staff has made our job as selectors a tough one - there are so many talented, emerging players within the Irish game at the moment. As selectors, we've been delighted to follow the development and progression of this squad. Despite some players being unavailable to travel this month, the quality and depth of talent that we have to call upon means that our final travelling squad remains a strong unit.

“Our selection priority for this squad was to provide Ed and Laura [Delany] with a group of players that not only covered all facets of the game, but also offered experience playing in major tournaments. We are acutely aware that despite being a talented squad of players, five of those selected only made their ODI debuts on last month’s tour. The value of the senior players in the squad will be more than just in playing talent, but in their off-field support and guidance, sharing their knowledge and experience of tournament cricket. Tournaments see matches come thick and fast, and this brings its own challenges at this level. The ability to impart knowledge to the newer members of the squad is also an important consideration for our selection discussions.

“We wish the squad well and have confidence that they will do Ireland proud on the field over the coming weeks.”

Ed Joyce, Head Coach of Ireland Women, said: “It is great to see the squad finally confirmed – especially the return of Eimear Richardson to the set-up. Eimear is not only a talented all-rounder on the field, but is a role model with over 15 years international experience to call upon. You can’t put a price on experience, and she is always an asset to the squad both on and off the field, and we thank Northern Districts for releasing her to play in the Qualifier.”

“We saw in Zimbabwe last month the confidence that our batting and bowling units gained from spending time training and playing in Zimbabwean conditions – especially how to adapt to altitude and dealing with the challenges of touring life. The facilities were first-rate, and that tour, I believe, saw a number of our players prove to themselves that they belonged in international cricket.

“After last night’s training session it is clear to see that the players have a determination and clear focus on making this tournament count. We know our squad, we have our game plans in place – we just need to execute our skills on the field and, if we do, we will give a good account of ourselves against some of the world’s best teams.”

Also read: T20 World Cup: Australia defeat Pakistan by 5 wickets to progress into the finals

The official warm-up match will take place against Pakistan and Thailand with nine teams competing for three places at the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup.

The Qualifier groups are:

Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands
Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA

16 November: Ireland Women v Thailand Women (warm-up match, Old Georgians Sports Club; start 9.30am)

19 November: Ireland Women v Pakistan Women (warm-up match, Harare Sports Club; start 9.30am)

23 November: Ireland Women v West Indies Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 1, Old Hararians Sports Club; start 9.30am)

25 November: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 2, Old Hararians Sports Club; start 9.30am)

29 November: Ireland Women v Sri Lanka Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 3, Sunrise Cricket Club; start 9.30am)

(Cricket news) Ireland Women’s Head Coach Ed Joyce has said that the squad has benefited greatly from last month’s tour of Zimbabwe and will go into this month’s 50-over World Cup Qualifier with a target to qualify for the biggest tournament in women’s cricket.

Interview with Head Coach Ed Joyce

The squad for the Ireland Women’s World Cup Qualifier campaign will be put out early next week, Head Coach Ed Joyce looked at the progress of the  squad in the last 12 months, and added few changes on their preparations.

He said: “I feel we are in a good place with our cricket and preparations for the Qualifier. Obviously you would rather go into a tournament like this with more competitive cricket under your belt, but last month’s tour of Zimbabwe served as a great boost in skills, confidence and cohesiveness of the squad.”

“At the outset of that tour we stated it was a chance to get a feel for conditions in Zimbabwe ahead of the Qualifier - but the most pleasing aspect for me was that the series provided so much more than just an acclimatisation opportunity.”

“Our batters were outstanding against a good Zimbabwean bowling attack. Gaby Lewis and Leah Paul were leading from the top with back-to-back century opening stands, Gaby’s three consecutive half-centuries,  Laura Delany hitting two fifties, including her highest ODI score of 88, and Amy Hunter’s remarkable unbeaten century were definitely individual highlights worth mentioning. Just as important as these individual performances to me, though, was the manner in which the whole batting unit worked together as a collective – with partnerships being the key to building big totals. The squad hasn’t played a lot of 50-over cricket in the last few months, so to perform as they did was a credit to the players.”

“Saying that, the story of that tour was more than just the batting. The bowlers also stepped up, with leg-spinners Cara Murray and Celeste Raack finishing highest and second-highest wicket-takers of the series. It was also a pleasure to give out five caps to players making their ODI debuts, the touring experience for these players in particular is a valuable developmental opportunity and part of better understanding what international cricket is about. These were some of the notable takeaways of the tour from my perspective and we’ll be looking to continue this momentum going into the Qualifier.”

“The squad we will take to the upcoming event is being finalised this week, but in advance of that announcement we have been undertaking skills training with the players at North County and utilising the fitness facilities at the Sport Ireland Institute. It’s pleasing to say that we have no reported fitness concerns at present, with several players recovering well from injuries picked up during the home season.”

 

 

 

“It’s good to have confirmed two high-quality opponents for warm-up matches just after we arrive, then we are into the tournament proper with a determination to give a positive account of ourselves on the world stage.”

 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) have confirmed the schedule for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Global Qualifier, Cricket Ireland will play two warm-up matches for the Ireland Women’s squad ahead of the tournament, with a bilateral 50-over warm-up match with Thailand being followed by an official Qualifier warm-up match against Pakistan.

 

The ICC Women’s World Cup Global Qualifier

 

Ten teams will compete for the top three finish at the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup, set to be held in New Zealand.

 

The Qualifier groups are:

 

Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands, Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA

 

Ireland Women’s playing schedule is:

 

16 November: Ireland Women v Thailand Women (warm-up match, Old Georgians Sports Club) 

 

19 November: Ireland Women v Pakistan Women (warm-up match, Harare Sports Club)

 

21 November: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 1, Takashinga Cricket Club) 

 

23 November: Ireland Women v West Indies Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 2, Old Hararians Sports Club)

 

25 November: Ireland Women v Sri Lanka Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 3, Harare Sports Club)

 

27 November: Ireland Women v Papua New Guinea Women (World Cup Qualifier Match 4, Harare Sports Club)

 

The top three teams from each group will qualify for the Super 6 stage, with group stage points calculated in the next phase. From there, the top three after the Super 6 stage will enter the Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 being held in New Zealand next year, along with the hosts, Australia, England, South Africa and India, who have directly qualified for the event.

As a bonus, the top five teams will also be eligible for the next edition of the ICC Women's Championship, which will change from eight teams to 10. If successful, this will be the first time that Ireland Women have played in a 50-over Cricket World Cup since 2005.

 

Also read:  Harmanpreet, Rodrigues star for Renegades in WBBL

(Cricket news) Ireland Women’s new One-Day international opening pair Gaby Lewis and Leah Paul are not so new to each other and it’s the strong bond they formed at the domestic level that is now reflecting on the international stage as Ireland look for a series victory.

With Ireland Women so close to winning their first bilateral W-ODI series on foreign soil when they take on Zimbabwe tomorrow morning, one of the biggest positives to take from the series so far has been the opening partnership that has been formed at international level between Lewis and Paul. The pair have got partnerships of 28, 135 and 145 in the three matches on this tour – the latter two respectively being the fourth-highest and second-highest opening stands in the history of ODI cricket for Ireland Women.

However, while the openers are new at the international level, right-handed Lewis and left-handed Paul have built their batting relationship at the domestic Super Series level, most notably in the ODI Cup format.

In 2020, Paul (295 runs at an average of 49.17) and Lewis (249 runs at an average of 35.57) led the Scorchers from the top to finish first and second respectively in the competition's run scoring department. While Paul had a more circumspect season in 2021 (85 runs at 17.00), Lewis struck 332 runs at 66.40. Despite the discrepancy in individual scores, the pair's contributions at the top of the order proved valuable to their team with partnerships of 74, 106 and 87 in three of the five completed matches.

Also read: Australia whitewash India in W-T20I series; comfortably winning multi-format series

As a result, close observers of Ireland's game won’t be surprised by the successful partnership between the 20-year old Lewis and 22-year old Paul in this series – but will be pleased that the potential they offer is now being recognised on the big stage.

On the tour to date, Lewis has struck scores of 24, 65 and 96* (185 runs at 92.50), while Paul has registered scores of 13, 95 and 63 (171 runs at 57.00).

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s fourth and final match of the current ODI series, Lewis said: “I absolutely love batting with Leah - we haven't really batted with each other at the international level before, but we have built up a strong bond during the Super Series - so to carry that through has been great. We know each other’s roles well and seem to complement each other.”

“Pauly has been brilliant on this tour so far - she's really shown what a good player she is and what a confident player she has become. We have built trust in each other and that's what really helped us form the opening partnership we have - and hopefully will continue to do in the long run.”

“The batting conditions out here have been quite nice and the pitches pretty good. The first two matches seemed to have been played on new pitches, but yesterday's was cracking a little and turning a bit more. The Zimbabwean spinners got a bit of turn out of them, but we played them well and just waited for those over-pitched balls to hit.”

“Conditions haven’t meant a need to change my game much, just the heat and fatigue means you have to concentrate that little bit more. Obviously in T20 cricket I would typically play more aggressively and look for runs, but in this longer format I have been more patient and trusting of my instincts - playing each ball as it comes and sticking to my processes - which seems to have worked well for me so far.”

Paul added: “It’s also been great to have a coach like Ed Joyce to work with - his knowledge and experience has been invaluable and he gives the batting unit a lot of confidence going into matches like these.”

“It was nice to spend some time in the middle – especially with Gaby - and contribute some runs to a couple of team wins. We were so disappointed with how we bowled and fielded in the first game, so it was great to bounce back and put on a solid performance in the next two games. The challenge of opening the bowling in the longer format has also been a challenge, but one I’m enjoying greatly.”

The final ODI between Ireland Women and Zimbabwe Women starts at 9.30am (Harare time) tomorrow and will be available to watch via Zimbabwe Cricket’s YouTube channel.
 
THE SQUAD

Laura Delany (captain), Zara Craig, Georgina Dempsey, Sarah Forbes, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.

THE FIXTURES

5 October 2021: Zimbabwe Women v Ireland Women – 1st ODI 
7 October 2021: Zimbabwe Women v Ireland Women – 2nd ODI 
9 October 2021: Zimbabwe Women v Ireland Women – 3rd ODI 
11 October 2021: Zimbabwe Women v Ireland Women – 4th ODI (Harare Sports Club)

HARARE (Cricket news)  Ireland captain Laura Delany hit her highest score in One-Day Internationals still Zimbabwe came out on top by winning the match by four wickets in the first match of the four-match series.
The match  was significant for several reasons: it was Zimbabwe Women’s first official One-Day International in their history, it was Ireland Women’s first competitive ODI in over three years, and head coach Ed Joyce handed out four debuts–  Orla Prendergast, Amy Hunter, Georgina Dempsey and Celeste Raack.
 
After Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bowl first, Leah Paul (13), Gaby Lewis (24) and Rebecca Stokell (22) batted patiently and set a nice foundation for the visitors, it was the 76-run partnership for  fourth wicket partnership between Delany and Shauna Kavanagh (31) that helped the run rate and put Ireland in control.
 
Delany was the chief aggressor, bringing up her maiden ODI half-century off 51 deliveries, eventually succumbing on 88 from 81 balls,  in the 47th over – this was Delany’s highest score in ODI cricket and the sixth-highest individual score for Ireland Women in ODI’s.
 
Sophie MacMahon hit out in the latter overs, smashing 29 runs off just 13 balls – including four boundaries, and Ireland went into the break with 253-8 from their 50 overs, this is the third highest team score for Ireland Women in ODI cricket.
 
Following her batting display, McMahon removed Zimbabwean opener Chiedza Dhururu for 4, which was followed soon after by a run out by Georgina Dempsey off her own bowling. At 25-2, Ireland sensed a chance for a victory, but a  57-run stand between Ashley Ndiraya (24) and Zimbabwe skipper Musonda shifted the dynamics of the match slightly back towards the home side.
 
Musonda grew in confidence as her innings progressed as she struck nine boundaries and turned the strike over regularly. She eventually brought up a well-deserved century from 110 balls and became Zimbabwe Women’s first-ever centurion in ODI cricket.
 
Zimbabwe chased the target with 31 balls to spare, finishing on 254-6 and taking a 1-0 over Ireland in the four-match series. The two sides return to the same venue and play  Game Two on Thursday.

Also read: Shauna Kavanagh determined to make her mark in series against Zimbabwe after returning from illness
 
MATCH SUMMARY  
   
Zimbabwe Women v Ireland Women, 1st ODI, Harare Sports Club, 5 October 2021  
   
Ireland 253-8 (50 overs; L Delany 88, S Kavanagh 31; J Nkomo 2-46, P Marange 2-48)
Zimbabwe 254-6 (43.5 overs: M Musonda 103*, P Marange 27; C Murray 2-46, S MacMahon 1-23)  
 
Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets

(Cricket news) Ireland women’s cricket team is set to travel to Zimbabwe to participate in a four match One Day International series next month and selectors have announced a 15 player squad for the tour.

The tour comes just before the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Global Qualifier that will be held in Zimbabwe in November and the four ODI’s will give the Irish women’s cricket team an opportunity to experience the local conditions before the tournament.

Zimbabwe Women’s cricket team recently won the ICC T20 World Cup African Qualifier, advancing to the Global Qualifier in 2022. Having finished second in the European equivalent of the tournament, Ireland women’s cricket team will be hoping to receive confirmation of progress as well.

THE SQUAD

Laura Delany (captain), Zara Craig, Georgina Dempsey, Sarah Forbes, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.

THE FIXTURES

5 October 2021: Zimbabwe Women v Ireland Women – 1st ODI (Harare Sports Club)
7 October 2021: Zimbabwe Women v Ireland Women – 2nd ODI (Harare Sports Club)
9 October 2021: Zimbabwe Women v Ireland Women – 3rd ODI (Harare Sports Club)
11 October 2021: Zimbabwe Women v Ireland Women – 4th ODI (Harare Sports Club)
 
Ireland Women’s Head Coach Ed Joyce said: “This tour will be an important part of our build-up to next month’s World Cup Qualifier, and will provide the squad with an excellent opportunity to experience playing conditions in Zimbabwe and at a key host venue as part of that Qualifier.”

“Our focus in recent months has been predominantly T20 cricket, so these fixtures are even more valuable to the players as a means of resetting their approach to take on the longer format of the game.”

“Several of the players in the squad were part of the 2018 side that toured Zimbabwe – and while that series suffered due to numerous rain-outs, the competitiveness and quality of both sides were tested, and we expect that this series will be no different.”

Also read: Heather Knight’s century guides England women to series win against New Zealand

DUBLIN (Cricket news) Ireland all-rounder Eimear Richardson has been named world cricket’s Player of the Month for August by ICC. 
Richardson, 34, was playing for the Irish squad that finished second at the ICC T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier during this month where she was named Player of the Tournament. She appeared in four matches, scoring 78 runs at an average of 38.00 (which included a 49-ball 53 in the match that ensured Ireland finished second), and claiming 7 wickets at an average of 7.28.

In 2020, Richardson was named Cricket Ireland’s International Player of the Year (Women).

She holds a professional administration and playing career with cricket in New Zealand and also has the roles of Community General Manager of Northern Districts.
She was one of two Irish players shortlisted for the monthly award along with Gaby Lewis.

Speaking on hearing the award win, Richardson said: “It was very exciting to be nominated for the ICC Player of the Month for August and to now be voted as the winner is just so amazing and humbling.”

“It was great to contribute to overall team performances at the European Qualifiers and hopefully we have done enough to make the next stage and compete on a global level again.”

“Behind every athlete, and any achievement, is a volume of people and support, so a big thanks to my teammates, head coach Ed Joyce and wider management. Also to my workplace Northern Districts, which continues to endlessly support and enable me to play at the top level.”

Also read:Ireland opener William Porterfield disappointed after rain out against Zimbabwe despite return to form

Ireland Women’s Head Coach Ed Joyce said “We’re delighted for Eimear – this award is great recognition for her dedication and performances for Ireland, not just over the last month, but over many years.”

“Eimear’s experience and contributions to the team both on and off the field make her a much-valued member of the squad, and it’s always encouraging to see one of our players recognised in this way.”Richardson has appeared 94 times for Ireland since her debut in 2005.

(Cricket news) The 14-player Ireland Women’s squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup European Qualifier in Spain was announced by Cricket Ireland today. The tournament will be played between 26-31 August 2021.

Laura Delany who recently surpassed Isobel Joyce for most matches captained for Ireland Women will once again lead the side.

Currently sitting at 10th in the world in T20 cricket ranking, Ireland Women successfully completed home series wins against Scotland and Netherlands earlier this summer.

La Manga Club in Spain will host the Qualifier in a round-robin format, out of the six participating countries only the top team will progress to the 2022 ICC Women's World T20 Qualifier tournament scheduled to be held in New Zealand in March and April 2022.

Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, Germany, France and Turkey are the six teams competing in the Qualifier. The matches will be livestreamed and livescored via the ICC website.

Ireland Squad

Laura Delany (C), Ava Canning, Georgina Dempsey, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Lara Maritz, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.

Carrie Archer, Chair of National Women’s Selectors, said: “The selectors have had an extremely challenging selection process for the Qualifier – but, in a way, it was a pleasing challenge to have. The quality and increasing depth of our playing talent in Ireland means that there was increased competition for places, and with only 14 players travelling per squad, tough choices had to be made.”

“We are pleased with the squad we've selected, however, there were several players that have missed out. Our key message is that hard work and commitment never goes unnoticed. With this being such an important year for Women's cricket in Ireland, there will be future opportunities to push for selection in coming months. This is not the only qualifying tournament that we will be playing this year, and we will be keeping an eye out for those striving to secure their place for future series.”

“What stood out to us during our selection deliberations is that, although this is a relatively young squad, we not only have all bases covered, but we have a squad with both batting and bowling depth. That depth will be crucially important in this incredibly important and intense tournament. Providing Head Coach Ed Joyce and captain Laura Delany with options was our main goal.” 

“The selectors wish Ed, Laura and the squad well both in the lead up and in the Qualifiers themselves.” 

Also read: ICC confirms intentions of bidding for cricket's inclusion in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

Ed Joyce, Head Coach of Ireland Women, said: “We’ve had a decent preparation period with the squad – the Super Series, the match against Lancashire and the Netherlands series have all allowed us the opportunity to hone our tactics and help shape the roles each member of the squad will be expected to play. We’ll spend the next 10 days or so getting final preparations in place, but most of the hard work and planning has already been done, so it’s a case of trusting our abilities and executing our plans out on the field.”

“With only one side going through from here, it will be a challenging week - but what’s definitely pleasing for me is that I was confident no matter which 14 players were selected, will be taking a talented, eager and hungry group to Spain that are capable of competing on all fronts.”

In cricket news, the Irish women’s cricket team will compete in a four match T20 International series against Netherlands women at Malahide in July before the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup European Qualifier in August.

The fixtures are:

26 July 2021: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women - 1^st T20I (Malahide, starting 4pm)

27 July 2021: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women – 2^nd T20I (Malahide, starting 4pm)

28 July 2021: Reserve Day

29 July 2021: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women – 3^rd T20I (Malahide, starting 4pm)

30 July 2021: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women – 4^th T20I (Malahide, starting 11am)

Ed Joyce, Head Coach of Ireland Women, said: “It was great to see the character and determination emerge from this young squad after we went 1-0 down in the Scotland series last month. To turn it around and dominate the following three matches told me a lot about the focus and competitive edge that this squad possesses. Indeed, that last squad was missing some of our key players, so to see a number of our emerging talents step up and shoulder responsibility was very encouraging.”

“As always, the more competitive cricket we can get for the squad, the better – and we appreciate the Dutch side travelling over during what are still challenging times. We look forward to another competitive series, and – with the Lancashire Women match next week – this will be an important month for our preparations ahead of our T20 World Cup Qualifier in August.”

Shane Deitz, Head Coach of Netherlands Women, said: “It’s fantastic that the KNCB and Cricket Ireland have been able to put this tour together in these circumstances. Our team has had many tours postponed and it has been a long time since we have been able to go and play against some quality opposition in quality conditions. I am excited to see the team play and I know the girls are very excited for the opportunity. This will be a superb build up for the European qualifiers in Spain and for us to work out some combinations and try a few things.”

Having already defeated Scotland 3-1 in a four match T20I series in Stormont, Ireland Women will now be heading off to England to face Lancashire Women at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester. These fixtures will provide competitive international action before the T20 World Cup European Qualifier between Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Netherlands and Turkey for a spot at the T20 World Cup global qualifying tournament.

DUBLIN – In latest cricket news, Cricket Ireland will send a 13-player senior women’s squad to Manchester to play the North West Thunder at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground on 1 July 2021.

The T20 match will be played as part of a doubleheader, with the Vitality Blast match being played afterwards between Lancashire Lightning and Worcestershire Rapids.

North West Thunder is a regional side that plays in the English Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and will contest in the ECB’s new Regional T20 competition in 2021.

The 13-player squad to travel to Manchester is:

Laura Delany (captain), Ava Canning, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Lara Maritz, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.

Ed Joyce, Head Coach of Ireland Women, said: “This will be a fantastic opportunity for our players to play a high-quality fixture in an international stadium in front of - hopefully - a vibrant crowd. The experience of the occasion will be great, however, with the T20 World Cup European Qualifier the following month, it’s crucial that our players are getting competitive, quality cricket. We see this fixture as a key part of our build-up to that qualifying tournament.”

“We are delighted to welcome Mary Waldron back into the set-up after being away in Australia for 18 months. I know Mary has been keen to get back home and join up with the squad, and her experience and skill will be a welcome addition to the playing group.”

“We would like to thank the Thunder for agreeing to play this fixture, and hope that not only can we reciprocate soon, but this may become a mutually-beneficial longer-term relationship.”

Ireland’s Orla Prendergast will end her 624 day wait when she dons her Irish jersey against Scotland’s Women on sunday. In her absence, Ireland’s women have had four tours and series cancelled and a world cup qualifier postponed.

Prendergast made her international debut in August 2019 and the all-rounder has eight caps so far. She was awarded a part time player contract by Cricket Ireland in August 2020. She scored 151 runs at an average of 25.17 in the 2020 Super Series along with taking 10 wickets at 18 runs apiece.

Her form was described as “outstanding” by Ireland womens captain Laura Delaney and scored a maiden century two weeks ago, scoring 116 runs from 129 balls and taking 2-17 in the same match. 

Ahead of the Scotland series, Prendergast said “It’s absolutely brilliant to finally be back playing international cricket and definitely an added bonus to have our first home fixture in two years. The possibility of spectators being allowed to attend is a really exciting prospect and hopefully, all going well that will be able to happen. We’ve had a long training block over the last 18 months, so it’s really exciting to be able to compete again and see where we are.”

“The Super Series this year has provided an excellent opportunity for us to prepare for the upcoming series. While we’ve obviously been extremely lucky to continue training over the last months, it’s been vital for us to get time out batting and bowling in the middle to prepare for upcoming international matches. Personally, I feel the Super Series has really helped me prepare for the upcoming series, both bowling and batting. The century I scored two weeks ago has definitely boosted my confidence, and hopefully I’ll carry some of that form through to the Scotland series.”

“Being without international cricket for a long period has left me with a lot of time to work on things that I wouldn’t have wanted to change if I had upcoming matches. I’ve been working on my bowling action and consistency a lot, and also my game plan with the bat.”

“The part-time retainer contract has also been a welcome opportunity. Having extra coaching contact time with Ed [Joyce] and Glenn [Querl] has really helped me further my game already, and it’ll be great to have some matches to test my skills again.”

“With regard to the Scotland series, I’m expecting some high standard and very close games. The two sides look quite evenly matched, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the series plays out. In relation to my own specific goals, I don’t really have any. Obviously, I’m hoping to take wickets and make some runs, but my main focus is just on helping the team win.”

SQUADS FOR THE SERIES

Ireland Women:

Laura Delany (capt), Ava Canning, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Jane Maguire, Lara Maritz, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Jenny Sparrow, Rebecca Stokell.

Scotland Women:

Kathryn Bryce (capt), Sarah Bryce, Becky Glen, Lorna Jack, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Ikra Farooq, Abtaha Maqsood, Samantha Haggo, Katie Mcgill, Priyanaz Chatterji, Ailsa Lister, Katherine Fraser, Ellen Watson, Megan McColl.

SERIES FIXTURES

The fixtures in the Celtic International T20 Challenge Series are:

23 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 1st T20I (Stormont, starting 1pm)
24 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 2nd T20I (Stormont, starting 1pm)
26 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 3rd T20I (Stormont, starting 1pm)
27 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 4th T20I (Stormont, starting 11am)

Cricket Ireland’s match centre will livestream and livescore the matches and capped and controlled crowds are expected at games 2,3 and 4. 
 

DUBLIN – Cricket Ireland on Wednesday announced a 15 player Ireland Women’s squad for the upcoming T20 International series against Scotland at Stormont. The series will feature four T20I matches between 23-27 May 2021.

The Ireland side will be led by Laura Delany who is returning after an injury. The squad features five such players who will be bidding to make their international debuts. Cara Murray and Rachel Delaney will also make their respective comebacks to the international squad after featuring in their last international match in June 2018.

Ireland and Scotland have met fourteen times in women’s T20Is, with Ireland winning in 11 outings, Scotland winning twice and one with no result. However, the two teams met twice in 2019, clinching a one victory each.

The squad is:

Laura Delany (capt), Ava Canning, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Jane Maguire, Lara Maritz, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Jenny Sparrow, Rebecca Stokell.

The series will be played as follows:

23 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 1st T20I (Stormont, starting 2pm)

24 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 2nd T20I (Stormont, starting 2pm)

25 May 2021: Reserve Day (1st & 2nd T20I’s, 2pm start)

26 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 3rd T20I (Stormont, starting 2pm)

27 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 4th T20I (Stormont, starting 11am)

The games will be livestreamed and livescored through the Cricket Ireland match centre. Spectators won't be currently permitted at games in Northern Ireland due current government restrictions.

Carrie Archer, Chair of National Women’s Selectors, said: “There is great anticipation to see how this young side will perform, given the exceptional performances in the Arachas Super Series over recent weeks. With an average age of less than 21, it is one of the youngest squads we have ever selected, but one full of talent and potential. With a big year ahead, it is vital that these players get as much competitive cricket as they can, and I have no doubt they will require little additional motivation to perform in this long-awaited return to the international arena.”

“With a number of players still overseas and unavailable, there is an opportunity now for several emerging players to make their mark ahead of the two world cup qualifier tournaments later in the year.”

“We have selected five players who may make their debuts. They are all here on merit, after impressing in the Super Series, and should take the confidence of knowing this into the series.”

Ed Joyce, Head Coach of Ireland Women, said: “We’ll be going into the Scotland series off the back of a solid build-up in training and a competitive Super Series to date. It’s great to see players being rewarded for their performances in the Super Series - it goes to show all players that there is a defined pathway to international cricket and that performances are being recognised with higher honours. There is no doubt that international cricket is yet another step up for the players, but I know that all of those selected are desperate to get out there and show what they can do on the world stage.”

DUBLIN – Cricket Ireland on Tuesday announced a 4-game T20I Series against Scotland Women in May 2021 to be held at Stormont. It will be the 1st home women’s international series since May 2019, and the 1st women’s international scheduled at Stormont since 1997.

The much-awaited return to international Cricket for Ireland Women comes after a string of series and tour cancellations last year which also included two scheduled series against Scotland. However, with 2 world cup qualifying campaigns all set for 2021, Ed Joyce, Ireland Women head coach is keen to have as many international cricket games as possible over the upcoming months.



“It goes without saying that we’re pleased to see this series given the green light – with a T20 World Cup Qualifier set for August and a 50-over World Cup Qualifier in December, we need to play as much competitive cricket this year as we can.”

“The Scots will be a good challenge, and ICC ranking points will be on the line, so we’re very much gearing up for a competitive series. It will also be fantastic to see the Ireland Women’s international team play at Stormont for the first time since 1997,” said Joyce. 

“The players' application and attitude over the last frustrating 18-20 months has been amazing, so this series is a welcome relief to the group. In addition, we’re also hopeful of having a full and varied fixture list for the team before both sets of qualifiers later this year.”



Ireland Women’s skipper Laura Delany said: “I’m absolutely delighted at the prospect of wearing the Irish shirt again. It’s been some time since we’ve played an international game so we’re definitely looking forward to getting back out there. We have worked hard over the winter period, now we need games to assess where we are at.”

“It’s important for the development and growth of the women’s game that our fixtures are spread across the country. To play at Stormont will not only be a fantastic experience for the players, but will be a boost for the women’s game in Northern Ireland.”

“Despite the disappointments of 2020, I know the squad are looking forward to the Scotland series with great anticipation and hopefully this is the first of a good block of fixtures in the lead up to the qualifiers.”

IRELAND WOMEN – Scotland Series – 2021

23 May: Ireland Women v Scotland Women, 1st T20I (Stormont)

24 May: Ireland Women v Scotland Women, 2nd T20I (Stormont)

26 May: Ireland Women v Scotland Women, 3rd T20I (Stormont)

27 May: Ireland Women v Scotland Women, 4th T20I (Stormont)

According to a press release by Cricket Ireland, the ITW Irish Cricket Awards 2021 have been announced and Paul Stirling and Kim Garth were named the International Player of the decade amongst the men and women’s category. The ITW Irish Cricket Awards were broadcasted via Youtube as sports journalist and broadcaster Marie Crowe hosted the event supported by RTE’s John Kenny along with ex Ireland captain Kyle McCallan. Audiences were treated with interviews of each winner along with a heart-touching tribute to the late Roy Torrens who had contributions by the former Ireland coaches Phil Simmons and Adi Birrell. ITW International Player of the Decade Paul Stirling was chosen as the winner among the likes of Ed Joyce, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien and William Porterfield. Kim Garth, who was adjudged the Hanley Energy International Player of the Decade – Women was competing among Laura Delany, Cecelia Joyce, Isobel Joyce and Clare Shillington for the honour. Kim, who debuted at the age of 14, finished the decade with the best batting average for an Irish player in T20Is, and the finest bowling average over the past decade in ODIs for Ireland Women. Paul Stirling was also awarded the ITW International Men’s Player of the Year while Andrew Balbirnie and Craig Young were the runners up. Simi Singh was adjudged the Test Triangle Inter-Provincial Player of the Year. Due to the cancellation or postponement of all Ireland Women’s cricket fixtures in 2020, awards were not presented in that category. Reinstatement of the International Women’s Player of the Year award will be done in 2022.

According to a press release by Cricket Ireland, the ITW Irish Cricket Awards 2021 will be digitally broadcasted on Friday 26 February 2021 through Youtube, featuring two coveted prizes – the Irish men’s and women’s Player of the Decade from 2011-2020. The event will be hosted by sports journalist and broadcaster Marie Crowe, alongside RTE’s John Kenny and former Ireland Men’s captain Kyle McCallan. Additional interviews and content will also be available on Cricket Ireland’s social media during the course of the event. The program will have 14 different award categories presented, across club to national level cricketers and staff. Two special awards will also be presented this year honouring the best players from both men’s and women’s international teams for the last decade. Expert juries were entrusted with this responsibility to shortlist and recommend an overall winner. The nominees for Player of the Decade are: Ed Joyce, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien,William Porterfield, Paul Stirling Shortlist for the Hanley Energy International Player of the Decade - Women : Laura Delany, Kim Garth, Cecelia Joyce, Isobel Joyce, Clare Shillington