Karachi, Apr 15 (Cricket News) Pakistan will host five men's and women's teams over the next 12 months as PCB announced the international calendar on Friday.

The Pakistan men's team is scheduled to play seven Tests, 17 ODIs and a minimum of 25 T20Is in the next 12 months while the women’s team participate in the ICC Women’s Championship, ICC U19 and T20 World Cups and Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

The PCB confirmed that West Indies, England and New Zealand men’s sides will tour Pakistan twice each in the next 12 months while Sri Lanka and Ireland women will visit Pakistan in May/June and October/November.

New Zealand and England had withdrawn from Pakistan tours last year.

The back-to-back international cricket will be in addition to the 2022-23 domestic cricket season, which will run concurrently to the international season.

The Pakistan men's team is scheduled to play seven ICC World Test Championship fixtures against three opponents – Sri Lanka (2), England (3) and New Zealand (2) – while the 12 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODI matches will be versus West Indies, Sri Lanka, Netherlands and New Zealand (three each).

In the shortest format of the game, Pakistan men’s side will feature in the ACC Asia Cup T20 in August/September and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022 from October 15 to November 15.

Outside the two main events, Pakistan’s other T20Is will be against England (seven), West Indies (three) and New Zealand (five).

New Zealand, in addition to the five ODIs in April 2023, will also play five T20Is. 


Also Read : Tripathi, Markram star in SRH's third straight win

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 6 (Cricket News) KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, the two enormously gifted cricketers, earmarked as future India captains will be showcasing their tactical acumen when newcomers Lucknow Super Giants square off with Delhi Capitals in an IPL match on Thursday.

Rahul and Pant, both match-winners in their own rights even with the bat, will like to seize the initiative in these early rounds.

IPL is a great platform where a good exhibition of meticulous homework, informed decision making with a dash of punt at critical junctures will hold any leader in good stead.

India will be playing a lot of cricket in next few years and with national captain Rohit Sharma's workload management is paramount, Rahul and Pant will both like to make a strong case for themselves going into the future.

And hence, the availability of the dashing David Warner and fit again Anrich Nortje for Capitals and the dependable Marcus Stoinis for LSG will certainly add to the depth of the playing XIs and bolster the competitive edge.

"David Warner is out of quarantine, so he's definitely available for selection for the next game, which is very exciting.

"Anrich Nortje has been going incredibly well over the last couple of weeks, since he's arrived here in India. And he has passed his fitness test to be available for selection," said Capitals assistant coach Shane Watson on the eve of the game.

It is expected that Tim Seifert will make way for Warner in the Capitals line-up and Nortje is set to enter the playing eleven at the expense of either Rovman Powerll or Mustafizur Rahman who starred with the ball in the previous game.

All-rounder Stoinis, who was picked by Lucknow from the draft, might replace one among Andrew Tye or Evin Lewis. As of now, replacing Tye looks more imminent.

Both teams have had issues with their bowling but Lucknow under Gautam Gambhir's mentorship, has managed pretty well.

The addition of Jason Holder has made them stronger and Delhi will be hoping that Warner gives them a rollicking start alongside mercurial Prithvi Shaw.

In case of LSG, skipper Rahul two good knocks against CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad would like that Quinton de Kock also repeats his performance against CSK.

However it is LSG's bowling that needs to stop DC's batting firepower which will grow manifold in Waner's presence and skipper Pant and Shaw also waiting for their big knocks.

While Lalit Yadav is growing in confidence with each passing game, it is veteran batter Mandeep Singh, who is the weakest link in the batting line-up.

The way Mandeep backed towards leg-stump to deliveries from Lockie Ferguson and even Hardik Pandya, didn't make a pleasant sight.

However with LSG's attack not having an express quick in absence of Mark Wood, Pant and coach Riocky Ponting might be tempted to give the former Punjab captain one more chance.

In case, he doesn't get it then the three available options are Kona Bharat, Sarfaraz Khan and Yash Dhull. Sarfaraz was in great form during first-class season while Bharat did well for RCB last year in the few chances that he got.

In case Lucknow, Manish Pandey has looked horribly out of touch but Gambhir is known to back his players which could well save him from getting the axe.

Also there is no denying that LSG's bench strength when it comes to Indian batting back-up isn't great.

The two available players are Manan Vohra, who even after a decade in IPL, has failed to deliver and there is Uttar Pradesh white-ball captain Karan Sharma, who isn't exactly a finished product.

Teams (From) Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (Captain), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya. Jason Holder.

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert. Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Ireland Women’s performance squad set for Spanish preparation camp

News Source : PTI

(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 Ireland Women’s team will become the first senior Irish side to tour Pakistan in history when they play a six-match white-ball series in November 2022. The series was confirmed jointly by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket Ireland and the announcement comes days after the Pakistan Women’s team made public their tour to Ireland in July (for a T20I Tri-Series between Ireland, Pakistan and Australia to be played at Bready Cricket Club).

Ireland and Pakistan have a 60 year old history of international cricket but this is the first time a senior men’s or women’s side will be playing in Pakistan. The Women’s team first met at the 1997 Women’s World Cup where the Irish team won by 182 runs. The two sides then met in a Test match in 2000 in Dublin and have played each other in 33 matches across all formats with Pakistan winning 24 and Ireland 9. The last match between the two teams was at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2018.

TOUR FIXTURES

6 November 2022: Pakistan Women v Ireland Women – 1st ODI (venue TBC; 10am start local time)*
8 November 2022: Pakistan Women v Ireland Women – 2nd ODI (venue TBC; 10am start local time)*
11 November 2022: Pakistan Women v Ireland Women – 3rd ODI (venue TBC; 10am start local time)*
14 November 2022: Pakistan Women v Ireland Women – 1st T20I (venue TBC; 10am start local time)
16 November 2022: Pakistan Women v Ireland Women – 2nd T20I (venue TBC; 10am start local time)
18 November 2022: Pakistan Women v Ireland Women – 3rd T20I (venue TBC; 10am start local time)
 
* The ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship

Laura Delany, Captain of Ireland Women, said: “We couldn’t have asked for a better start to 2022, following the announcement of full time contracts. We have a busy summer ahead and are greatly looking forward to the prospect of playing Pakistan in an away series.

“As a squad we haven’t travelled to Pakistan before, but now having qualified for the ICC Women’s Championship we have been presented with this opportunity, one that no doubt will be a good challenge towards the end of the year. Having not played in Asian conditions for a few years now due to COVID-19, with a young squad this will be an invaluable opportunity as we are set to play more regularly in this part of the world over coming years.”

Richard Holdsworth, High Performance Director at Cricket Ireland, said: “We are delighted to confirm this historic tour to Pakistan and appreciate the support of the Pakistan Cricket Board in arranging the tour. This year will be 25 years since the two women’s sides first met on the field, and will be the first time in five years an Ireland Women’s side has played in Asia. Ireland and Pakistan have a deep cricket bond in both women’s and men’s cricket – and we will be as delighted to welcome them to Ireland in July as we will be to visit Pakistan in November.”

Also read: Top 5 all rounders to watch out in the upcoming Tata IPL 2022

Dubai, Mar 14 (Cricket News) Fast-rising India batter Shreyas Iyer was on Monday voted the ICC 'Men's Player of the Month' for February, while New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr bagged the honour among women.

Iyer earned the award on the back of his brilliant white-ball exploits during the home series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka respectively last month.

He pipped UAE's Vriitya Aravind and Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee to claim the honour.

The right-hander struck a well-crafted, match-winning 80 in the third ODI against the West Indies in Ahmedabad and followed it up with a brisk 16-ball 25 in the closing game of the subsequent three-match T20I series.

He was even better in the T20I series against Sri Lanka, aggregating 204 runs without being dismissed across three innings at a highly impressive strike-rate of 174.36.

He registered scores of 57*(28), 74*(44) and 73*(45) across three games, while striking 20 fours and seven sixes collectively in a Player of the Series performance.

"Throughout the month Shreyas showed tremendous consistency and control," remarked former Sri Lanka cricketer and voting panel member Russell Arnold.

"He totally dominated opposition bowlers and proved very hard to bowl at, scoring runs all-round the wicket and attacking the bowlers at the right moments. What really stood out for me was his composure as he battles for a regular place in the India lineup." The 27-year-old has carried his form in the ongoing month too, having produced an outstanding 92 in the first innings of the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka in Bangalore.

Kerr, the 21-year-old New Zealand all-rounder, was named the Women's POTM, following her supreme consistency with both bat and ball during the home white-ball series against India.

Kerr was chosen ahead of fellow nominees, India captain Mithali Raj and all-rounder Deepti Sharma for the award. The Wellington-born is already being hailed as one of the best women cricketers of the modern era.

After scoring 17 and returning 2/25 in New Zealand’s 18-run win in the only T20I, Kerr showcased exemplary skills during the ODI leg to further establish herself as a world-class cricketer.

She finished the top-run scorer in the ODI series with 353 runs at a staggering average of 117.67, while bagging seven wickets at an economy of 5.78.

She was named the Player of the Match in the second and fourth ODI respectively, her standout performance coming in the former, in which she returned 1/43 with the ball before anchoring a tense 271-run chase with a sublime unbeaten 119.

"Amelia Kerr is growing into her role as a genuine all-rounder in the New Zealand team," said Isobel Joyce, the former Ireland Women cricketer, and a voting panel member.

"She's been a world-class leg spinner for a number of years, but now her batting adds even more value to her spot in the team and makes her one of the best cricketers in the world." Kerr is an integral part of the White Ferns set-up at the ongoing World Cup, having already racked up 111 runs and bagged five wickets from four outings thus far. 

Also Read : All-round South Africa beat England to register hat-trick of wins in ICC Women's WC

News Source : PTI

(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 Irish Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (IACUS) and Cricket Ireland have confirmed the list of representative umpire appointments for 2022 – which includes Downpatrick’s Jareth McCready as the newest member of the Cricket Ireland International Umpire Panel. McCready, 50, played for Downpatrick Cricket Club from Under-11s through to First team, before work took him away from his hometown, after which he played for Instonians and Armagh. After an ACL injury sustained during pre-season training with Armagh in 2003, he turned to umpiring to stay connected to the game, and has now umpired for 17 years.

Speaking from home, McCready said: “I’m delighted with the nomination to the international panel – and honoured to follow in the footsteps of Alan Neill. I’ve umpired for over 17 years now and have been privileged to stand in some important matches – including an Ireland Women v New Zealand match in 2018, several Ireland Women fixtures in 2021, a National Cup final, an Ireland Wolves v Bangladesh A match in 2019 – as well as two NCU Cup finals. I was also fortunate to be called to play in the first first-class domestic game in Ireland!”

Crediting several key people with his switch to umpiring and development, he said: “It was Jonathan Briggs who first suggested I try umpiring, and I have never looked back. Trevor Henry (who I stood with in my first game at Lurgan Park) was excellent support, while Paddy O’Hara was definitely a role model – in fact, most of my technique is based on Paddy’s approach.”

Having won the Irish Senior Cup in 1991 with Downpatrick as a player, as well as playing in Ulster and Irish schools in 1990 - winning a schools cup with RBAI in 1990, McCready is dedicated to umpiring in the way he once was to his playing: “My goal is just to keep advancing and learning. To make a good umpire you need to be prepared before each match – not just in the knowledge of laws and regulations, but in terms of player management. Preparation gives you a good basis for decision-making within the game.

“Umpiring really is the best seat in the house. I’ve seen a lot of top quality cricketers take up umpiring after they finish playing, and I’d encourage that - to take it up sooner rather than later. There are fantastic opportunities nowadays for umpires.”

And does he have a dream match that he would love to umpire one day?

“It would be Boxing Day at the MCG, definitely. Plus, I would love to umpire an Irish Senior Cup final – it would possibly mean that I would be the first person to have a winner’s medal as a player and an Umpire’s Medal!”

Phil Thompson, Chair of IACUS, said: “The standard of umpiring is very good in Ireland at the moment. The Cricket Ireland Panel is looking as strong as it ever has in 2022, and that's a credit to the local associations for all the hard work they put in. The game at representative level has grown massively since Ireland became a Full Member, for instance, in 2018 we made 324 appointments, and in 2021 we had a record year, where we made 1,424 appointments.

“For those interested in learning more about umpiring, there are clear pathways in place from the day you start umpiring, all the way through to when you get appointed to the Cricket Ireland Panel. Jareth's appointment to the International Panel shows that the process works - and if you are dedicated and hungry to reach the top, then you just have to look at Roly Black, who is just back from umpiring the Under-19s World Cup Final.

“We run training courses every year, and in the last couple of years, we have been pleased to see record numbers attending across Ireland. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t looking for more people to get involved, there’s always opportunity for new umpires to start out. Last year we established a standalone education set-up, which is led by our training officer Alan Neill.

“One area we are always keen to grow is our female umpires – and while the interest is there, we are yet to see substantive numbers coming through the system. Mary Waldron is obviously becoming a real role model to many, and achieving great things with her umpiring, but to be honest, we haven't found the answer yet to growing female umpiring numbers. One thing is clear though, there is a fantastic opportunity for female umpires from grassroots to international cricket at the moment, and we hope to develop some more ‘Mary Waldron’s’ very soon.”

And what makes a good umpire?

“To make a good umpire you need to be very dedicated to the process, it can be a decent time requirement and is challenging for some. But what amazing opportunities there are now for umpires – Jareth, Mary and Roly show what can be achieved. To get the opportunity to travel worldwide to umpire is an incredible experience, and one thing that all our team say when umpiring is: we have the best seat in the house.

“Umpiring is also a fantastic way for ex-players to stay in the game - and their experience can be a big plus, as they have a good understanding of what they expected of umpires when they played. Most of our umpires come from local clubs, and we’re hoping that some internationals may consider it when they finish their playing careers.

“If you are interested in becoming an umpire, then just contact your local association directly or through their website. I can assure everyone of a warm welcome, and there will be no shortage of help available to you.”

The Full Umpiring Panel - 2022

The full Cricket Ireland / IACUS Umpiring Panel for 2022 is drawn from:

Leinster Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association (LCU&SA)
Northern Ireland Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (NIACUS)
North West Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association (NWCUSA)

Also read: Cricket Ireland commits to new investment for hybrid pitches

(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

New Delhi, Nov 27 (Cricket news) Most big guns of Indian women's cricket, including Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, were on Saturday rested from the Challenger Trophy which will begin with a clash between the Sneh Rana-led India A and an India B helmed by Taniya Bhatia, on December 4 at Vijayawada.

All the matches will be held in Vijayawada in the four-team tournament which will conclude on December 9. India C will have Shikha Pandey as skipper while Pooja Vastrakar will lead India D.

The C and D teams will also have their first match on December 4.

Apart from Mandhana and Shafali, the other big names to miss the event include Harmanpreet Kaur, and Jemimah Rodrigues.

All of them featured in the Women's Big Bash League in Australia. While India A, B, and C teams are 15-player squads, India D has 13 members in its squad.

Squads: India A: Sneh Rana (Captain), Shivali Shinde, Lakshmi Yadav, Vrinda Dinesh, Jhansi Lakshmi, Yastika Bhatia, Sushree Dibyadarshani, Mehak Kesar, B. Anusha, S.S. Kalal, Ganga.W, D.D. Kasat, Renuka Singh and Simran Dil Bahadur.

India B: Taniya Bhatia (Captain), Anju Tomar, Riya Chaudhary, Palak Patel, Shubha Satish, Harleen Deol, Humeira Kazi, Chandu V Ram, Rashi Kanojiya, G. Trisha, Soumya Tiwari, Meghna Singh, Sarala Devi, Saima Thakoor and Ramyashri.

India C: Shikha Pandey (Captain), Muskan Malik, Sweta Verma, Shipra Giri, Tarannum Pathan, Arti Devi, Radha Yadav, C. Prathyusha, Anushka Sharma, Kashvee Gautam, Priyanka Garkhede, R.R. Saha, Dhara Gujjar, Priya Punia and Aishwarya.

India D: Pooja Vastrakar (Captain), Amanjot Kaur, Indrani Roy, K. Prathyoosha, S. Meghana, Divya. G, Ayushi Soni, Kanika Ahuja, Keerthi James, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Sanjula Naik, Monica Patel and Ashwini Kumari.

Also Read : Ireland Women win against the Netherlands in World Cup Qualifier

News Source : PTI

(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.

Dubai, Nov 23 (Cricket news) India captain Mithali Raj retained her number three spot among batters while her veteran compatriot Jhulan Goswami maintained her second position among bowlers in the ICC women's ODI rankings issued on Tuesday.

Raj, who has 738 rating points to her kitty, is behind Lizelle Lee (761) of South Africa and Alyssa Healy (750) of Australia as there was no change in the top-10 batters from the previous rankings.

Another India batter Smriti Mandhana also remained on sixth spot with 710 points.

Among the bowlers, Goswami (727) is behind leader Jess Jonassen (760) of Australia.

Pakistan left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu climbed four places to 17th spot after her impressive figures of 2/24 against Bangladesh in the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe on Sunday.

Bangladesh batters were also among the top gainers with Fargana Hoque and Rumana Ahmed making significant progress.

Hoque's 90-ball 45 that laid the foundation for Bangladesh's victory helped her gain one slot to reach the 25th position, whereas Rumana Ahmed, who remained unbeaten on 50 climbed five places to reach the 29th spot.

Also Read : Ireland Women to face West Indies at first World Cup Qualifier

News Source : PTI

(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) On her 16th birthday, Ireland’s Amy Hunter hit an unbeaten maiden century and became the youngest cricketer (men or women) to score an international ton as Ireland Women claimed a 3-1 series victory over Zimbabwe in emphatic style.

The Belfast-born Hunter scored a near flawless 121* off 127 balls, which include 8 boundaries – her innings total bearing the highest individual score for Ireland Women by one run (Karen Young scored 120 v Pakistan in 2000).

However, it was not just Hunter that achieved records and milestones today – the Ireland Women’s total of 312-3 in 50 overs was their highest-ever ODI total, Gaby Lewis continued her great run of form hitting a third consecutive half-century of the series, and both captain Laura Delany and wicketkeeper Mary Waldron played in their 150th international match for Ireland (across all formats).

The 3-1 series win was also Ireland Women’s first-ever bilateral ODI series win on foreign soil.

Earlier in the day, captain Delany lost her fourth toss of the series and Ireland was put into bat first. This turned out to be a decision that Zimbabwe would regret.

Lewis and opening partner Paul – who together had scored consecutive century opening stands prior to today – again looked solid in a 40-run partnership, before Paul was bowled for 12.

Lewis and Hunter then put on 104 for the second wicket. Lewis the aggressor of the pair struck 78 from 87 balls (her third straight half-century of the series) before falling to a diving caught & bowled by Loryn Phiri (1-51). Lewis had an outstanding series with the bat finishing top run-scorer with 263 runs at an average of 87.67.

That brought captain Delany to join Hunter at the crease and the pair mounted an assault on the home bowlers. Their 143-run third wicket stand came off just 115 balls with Delany hitting 68 from 53 balls, and Hunter registering her maiden international century off 110 balls. While Delany was impressive with her stroke play and power, Hunter rotated the strike regularly - the 45 singles and 16 twos she registered a testament to her ability to pace her innings well and compile runs with ease.

Also read: Should Indian Women be happy with their performance in Australia?

Orla Prendergast (12 off 10 balls) and Hunter struck 25 off the final three overs and carried Ireland Women’s total to 312-3 after their 50 overs.

In response, the Zimbabwean innings got off to a bad start losing Modester Mupachikwa for 2 in the second over, and while the partnering of Ashley Ndiraya (38) and Josephine Nkomo (66) mounted a 96-run second-wicket stand, the home side never looked in the hunt.

Ireland’s bowlers impressed again on what looked a batter-friendly pitch - Jane Maguire (1-24), Cara Murray (1-33) and Celeste Raack (1-24) made key breakthroughs, while impressive spells from Delany (2-32) and Sophie MacMahon (2-44) ensured the Zimbabwe batters found it hard to score freely.

The hosts eventually finished on 227-8 after their 50 overs, with Ireland claiming the match today by 85 runs and the series 3-1.

MATCH SUMMARY  

Zimbabwe Women v Ireland Women ODI Series, 4th ODI, Harare Sports Club, 11 October 2021  

Ireland 312-3 (50 overs: A Hunter 121*, G Lewis 78, L Delany 68; J Nkomo 1-45)

Zimbabwe 227-8 (50 overs: J Nkomo 66, A Ndiraya 38; L Delany 2-32, S MacMahon 2-44) 

Ireland won by 85 runs (Ireland won series 3-1)

(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) The Ireland Women’s Cricket team have arrived in Zimbabwe to begin a four-match One-Day International series. Shauna Kavanagh has amassed 90 caps for Ireland was forced to miss out on the recent ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier but has now recovered and is raring to go.

In a press release by Cricket Ireland, Kavanagh said “Zimbabwe is a great place to play cricket and the welcome has been brilliant. A few players in the squad have been here before so know what to expect, but for most, it’s a new experience.”

“We have been training at Harare Sports Club, which is where we will play all four games, and the facilities are great. We have had access to everything we need to make sure we’re as well prepared as we can be.”

“Personally, I have positive memories of playing cricket here in Zimbabwe, and that will certainly give me confidence heading into this series. It was very tough missing out on the T20 World Cup Europe qualifiers in La Manga at the end of August, so I am really excited to be playing cricket again - and hopefully spending lots of time in the middle.”

“Conditions have been great, and they look good wickets that we’ll be playing on. It’s warm - around 25-30 degrees – but that’s a nice temperature to be playing cricket in.”

“Everyone in the squad has recovered from the travel here and are fit and ready to go, which is brilliant as it means we have all 15 players to select from. Every one of us knows that this series is an opportunity to put their hand up and contend for a spot in the World Cup qualifying squad next month.”

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)

Also read: Ireland cricketer Ben White enjoying cricket preparations ahead of Men’s T20 World Cup

(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) With three games left to play of the DafaNews T20I Cup, Ireland’s all-rounder Shane Getkate finds himself back at Bready where he made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe two years ago.

In a press release by Cricket Ireland, Shane Getkate said, ““Bready is a special place and it will be great to have the supporters in to watch this week. They are always vocal and get behind the lads, so that support is great to have for sure. I’m sure there will be a buzz about the ground and hopefully we can get a few wins on the board for them this week.”

He then reflected on the series and his bowling so far: “Bowling our best ball and attacking the stumps seemed to work well in the first game, so that was the plan coming into the second game. Personally, it was nice to contribute with the ball and pick up some wickets in the middle overs. I think as a bowling group we stuck to our plans and they seemed to pay off.”

“In T20 cricket everyone’s role may change depending on conditions or situation of the game. The deck offered some assistance for the seamers, so it was nice to have that responsibility on Sunday and to play a part with the ball. Bowling in the power play can go either way, so I think it’s important to be clear and try to execute the plans put in place.”

 “As for the change of venue, Bready is looking well - we trained there today and the place is looking the best I have seen in a while. I think the deck should be good and scores may be slightly higher than the first two games. But as a team we have the game plans to adapt to what is in front of us.”

Also read: Ireland women defeat France in the Qualifier with a dominant display

THE SQUADS

Ireland’s T20I squad:

Andrew Balbirnie (Captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Shane Getkate, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, William McClintock, Kevin O’Brien, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.

Ireland’s ODI squad:

Andrew Balbirnie (Captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Graham Kennedy, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, William Porterfield, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.

Ireland Wolves squad:

William Porterfield (Captain), Murray Commins, Stephen Doheny, Matt Ford, Mike Frost, Graham Hume, Graham Kennedy, Jeremy Lawlor, Josh Manley, Neil Rock, Lorcan Tucker (plus two players to be added).

August 31(Cricket news): James Vince began his Sydney Sixers career as a quiet achiever called in as an international replacement but returns to the club for KFC BBL11 as a bona fide Big Bash superstar.

Although he has received several attractive offers from rival franchises, Vince put pen to paper for his fourth campaign with the men in Magenta off the back of his late season heroics last summer that played a huge part in lifting the Sixers to back to back BBL titles.

The 30-year-old also has played for England in all three formats of the game, scoring an unbeaten 98 off 53 balls in the grand final qualifier against the Perth Scorchers at Manuka Oval before pounding 95 from 60 against the Scorchers at a heaving SCG to set up victory in the final.

After that BBL final, Vince's Pakistan Super League team won the interrupted PSL season title, he was called back to the England white ball team for ODI and T20I duties and earlier this month led the Southern Brave to the inaugural “The Hundred” title in the UK.

The international batsman has joined with the likes of fellow English star Tom Curran and West Indian icon Carlos Brathwaite on the Sixers’ list with just one player left to fill the club’s 18-player BBL11 roster.

Vince’s match winning knock and an unbelievable diving catch in the second innings got him Player of the Match honours in the final and a place in Sixers’ folklore, a place he rightfully but humbly sits.

“I don’t play for the personal accolades or awards, I play to be part of a winning team,” Vince said.

“What the Sixers have built on and off the field over the last few years is something really special and something I am proud to be part of. They are just a great bunch of lads and it’s everyone, players, coaches, support staff, the supporters.”

“Shippy (Head Coach Greg Shipperd) creates an environment that we can all thrive in and we are all motivated to do our job for the team and our members and fans.

“To experience that final last season at the SCG, in what was our first trip back there all year, was something I’ll never forget.

“When the Scorchers dropped a catch the place erupted and it was the loudest noise I’ve ever heard on a cricket field. The fans were incredible.

“How could you not want to come back for more of that?”

Vince forms a lethal opening pair at the top of the Sixers order with BBL10 Player of the Tournament Josh Philippe and both will be crucial to the team’s chances of capturing an astonishing BBL three peat.

But Vince points out the side is not dependent on just a few players.

“We have so much depth and Shippy makes sure that everyone in the squad and even those on the fringes of the squad are ready to step in and play every single game,” he said.

“It takes a lot of pressure off to just go out and play freely when you know there’s a whole team behind you.

“We have a strong batting line up and bowlers that cover every role. I can’t wait to get back to Sydney.”

Also read:  Ireland Women finish in ICC T20 World Cup European Qualifier style, Eimear Richardson named Player of the Tournament

LA MANGA CLUB, Spain(Cricket news) All-rounder Eimear Richardson from Ireland was named Player of the Tournament at the ICC T20 World Cup European Qualifier after scoring 53 and taking 1-22 as Ireland secured 2nd place in the tournament.

While only top spot in the European Qualifier progresses directly to the Global Qualifier in 2022, there is another potential opportunity available for Ireland to also progress, with the ‘next highest’ ranked side in Global ICC rankings going through. On present rankings, this would be Ireland, however this will all be confirmed after the African Regional Qualifier next month.

Ireland’s final group game was a tussle with the Netherlands. Netherlands won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Dutch bowlers delivered an early spell of economical and aggressive bowling. Iris Zwilling (3-14) dismissed Rebecca Stokell, Laura Delany and Leah Paul in quick succession.

By the halfway stage Ireland had stabilised the innings at 44 for 3, with Eimear Richardson and Gaby Lewis at the crease. The pair put on 60 runs for the fourth wicket at nearly a run a ball, until Lewis departed in the 15th over for 32 off 39 balls, which was followed by a mini-collapse which saw Ireland lose 3-2 in the space of an over.

Also read: IPL 2022: BCCI expects Rs 5000 crore windfall as base price for new teams kept at Rs 2000 crore

Despite this, Richardson looked to carry on aggressively, only departing in the final over after scoring only her second T20I half-century - a crucial 53 from 49 balls, with Ireland finishing on 111-9.

Once more Ava Canning delivered with the ball early for Ireland setting a positive tone in the powerplay, ending with figures of 1-14 from four overs. Her first tournament for Ireland saw her play three matches and finish with 3 wickets at an average of just 7 runs apiece. This opening powerplay left the Netherlands on 23-1, and as the field started to spread, Irish skipper Delany turned the spin of Richardson and Cara Murray, and her own medium-pace. Both Murray and Delany claimed three wickets each as Netherlands crashed from 50-1 to 63-8 in the space of four overs.

Robine Rijke (32) looked the most dangerous, but Murray’s intervention and Rijke’s subsequent dismissal seemed to end the Dutch chances of an outside win.

Eventually, the Dutch finished on 87-9, with Richardson taking the double honour of Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament. Richardson’s return from her four appearances was 7 wickets at 7.28 runs apiece and 76 runs at 38.00.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Women v Netherlands Women, ICC T20 World Cup European Qualifier, La Manga, 30 August 2021

Ireland 111-9 (20 overs; E Richardson 53, G Lewis 32; E Lynch 4-23, I Zwilling 3-14)

Netherlands 87-9 (20 overs; R Rijke 32; C Murray 3-9, L Delany 3-17, A Canning 1-14)

Ireland Women won by 24 runs

(Cricket news) Ireland maintain their second place in the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament after defeating France. The two sides faced each other for the first time in international cricket and Ireland elected to bowl after winning the toss.

After the first powerplay, France were struggling 7-2 with Sophie MacMahon (1-2) and Leah Paul (2-5) bowling well. France collapsed for just 24 runs as all six Irish bowlers picked up wickets. Rebecca Stokell (7*) and Louise Little (12*) scored the required 25 runs in three overs to help Ireland claim another two points.

Ireland are set to face Netherlands tomorrow in the final game of the tournament for the 2nd place in the Qualifier.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Women v France Women, ICC T20 World Cup European Qualifier, La Manga, 29 August 2021

France 24 (20 overs; L Paul 2-5, E Richardson 2-0, S MacMahon 1-2.)

Ireland 25-0 (2.4 overs: R Stokell 7*, L Little 12*)

Ireland Women won by 10 wickets

Also read: Scotland move to top of the table after a thrilling win against Ireland in T20 World Cup European Qualifier

(Cricket news) Ireland registered a 164 run win against Germany but the headlines were made by Gaby Lewis who became the first Irish woman to score a century in T20 International cricket. She scored an unbeaten 105 runs in 60 balls comprising 11 fours and three sixes. She was supported by Rebecca Stokell who scored 44 from 30 balls and Ireland’s captain Laura Delaney (22 runs off 30 balls). Lewis’ 98 run partnership with Stokell came in just nine overs while her 89 run partnership with Delaney also came in the same number of overs.

Ireland scored a total of 196-2 in 20 overs, their second highest total (highest score: 213-4 v Netherlands, 2019) but their win was by the highest margin achieved by an Ireland’s womens’ side. Germany won the toss and chose to bowl but Lewis and Stokell scored 79 runs in the first powerplay. In an effort to score a century with balls running out, Lewis hit consecutive sixes in the 18th over and registered her century one over later. Only Kevin O’Brien and Gaby Lewis have now registered a century in T20 Internationals.

Germany struggled to cope with the 197 target and only Christina Gough (14) got double figures. With only one boundary, Germany were restricted to just 32 - 3 in 20 overs with Eimear Richardson (2-5) and Lara Maritz (1-1) taking wickets. Gaby Lewis was awarded Player of the Match and Ireland will now shift their focus to Scotland for their next match.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Women v Germany Women, ICC T20 World Cup European Qualifier, La Manga, 26 August 2021

Ireland 196-2 (20 overs; G Lewis 105*, R Stokell 44, L Delany 22: B Loch 1-21)

Germany 32-3 (20 overs; C Gough 14; E Richardson 2-5, L Maritz 1-1)

Ireland Women won by 164 runs

Also read: Cricket Ireland confirm assistant coach Stuart Barnes resignation, Ryan Eagleson to assume interim role for the T20 World Cup

(Cricket news) Amy Hunter has been called up for the Ireland Women’s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup European Qualifier that will be held in Spain by Cricket Ireland. The tournament will be held between 26th to 31st August, 2021.

Shauna Kavanagh will be replaced by Amy Hunter after a positive COVID-19 test. The 15 year old made her international debut in May 2021 against Scotland and has featured twice so far.

THE QUALIFIER TOURNAMENT

The qualifier will be played at La Manga Club in Spain in a round-robin format, with just the top team of the six participating countries progressing to the 2022 ICC Women's World T20 Qualifier tournament.

Ireland Women’s fixtures:

Thu 26 August: Ireland Women v Germany (9.30am start)

Thu 26 August: Ireland Women v Turkey (2.30pm start)

Fri 27 August: Ireland Women v Scotland (2.30pm start)

Sun 29 August: Ireland Women v France (9.30am start)

Mon 30 August: Ireland Women v Netherlands (2.30pm start)

NB: All times above are Irish time

The matches will be livestreamed and livescored via the ICC website.

THE SQUAD

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

Also read: Brigade Cricket Club beat Cork Harlequins to win their first Clear Currency All-Ireland T20 Cup

(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.” 

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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.”

(Cricket news) In today's fourth and final T20 International against Ireland at Malahide, the Netherlands Women achieved a historic first-ever win over Ireland.

The Netherlands had never beaten Ireland in an international match in ten attempts, but today they won by 7 wickets (DLS) in a rain-affected encounter, inspired by Player of the Match Babette de Leede's stunning 62* from 35 balls.

De Leede and Player of the Series Miranda Veringmeier put on a match-winning 85-run third-wicket combination as the Netherlands chased down a DLS-adjusted target of 118 from a maximum of 15 overs in 13.3 overs.

Ireland made three changes for their last match after gaining an unassailable lead in the series yesterday, resting Orla Prendergast, Lara Maritz, and Ava Canning and replacing them with Celeste Raack, Rachel Delaney, and Georgina Dempsey.

Following a rain-delayed start, Gaby Lewis, Ireland's batting hero in the previous match, was dismissed for 5 runs after smashing a half-tracker straight to square leg. The Irish captain Laura Delany joined Lewis' opening partner Rebecca Stokell, and the pair put up 85 runs for the second wicket in 82 balls. Stokell and Delany battled through rain showers that forced them to leave the field three times, limiting the match to a 15-over-a-side affair in the end.

Delany's 39* from 43 balls appeared to be a continuation of her batting form from earlier in the series, while Stokell's 48 from 43 balls was her highest score for Ireland, falling on the final ball of the innings. Stokell, who began her innings nervously, built in confidence during her innings, hitting a massive six down the ground and five boundaries.

Both teams will now prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier, which will take place in August.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Women v Netherlands Women, 4th Match T20I International Challenge, Malahide Cricket Club, 30 July 2021

Ireland 101-2 (15 overs; R Stokell 48, L Delany 39*; E Lynch 1-21)

Netherlands 119-3 (13.3 overs; B de Leede 62*, M Veringmeier 29*; C Raack 1-8)

Netherlands Women won by 7 wickets (DLS)

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(Cricket news) A sublime 61 runs by Ireland Women’s cricket team captain Laura Delaney helped her side complete a 28 run victory in the first T20I against Netherlands at Malahide. Netherlands won the toss and decided to bowl, taking an early wicket of Gaby Lewis. However, Lewis’ dismissal brought forth Laura Delaney who scored her highest T20 International score of 61 runs off 43 balls, scoring her maiden half century in just 36 deliveries.

In an impressive display, Delaney scored eight boundaries in an innings which started when the score was 13-1 and ended with 107-3 in the 15th over. Delaney’s dismissal came when her pull shot was caught at cow’s corner to bring a conclusion to a brilliant innings. Shauna Kavanagh gave support to her captain with a steady 21 runs for a 69 run partnership, but fell off the next ball. Eimear Richardson (19) and Orla Prendergast (27* from 13 balls) ensured Ireland set a target of 160-6, their fourth highest T20I total which featured 20 fours and a six.

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Netherlands opted for a safer approach as they began their innings with Frederique Overdijk and Heather Siegers keeping their wickets intact. However, Orla Prendergast eventually made a breakthrough, dismissing Siegers who was caught by Richardson. Celeste Raack then put up an impressive display, claiming three wickets in the 10th over to leave Netherlands at 51-3 and facing a difficult task of needing a run rate of 11 in the last 10 overs.

Netherlands did not give up without a fight as Miranda Veringmeier scored 33 runs off 15 balls but when three wickets fell in quick succession, Ireland’s victory over Netherlands was all but guaranteed. Laura Delaney was awarded Player Of the Match and the two sides are all set to face each other once again in the same venue for the second T20I.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Women v Netherlands Women, 1st Match T20I International Challenge, Malahide Cricket Club, 26 July 2021

Ireland 160-6 (20 overs; L Delany 61, O Prendergast 27*; E Lynch 2-14)

Netherlands 132-7 (20 overs; M Veringmeier 33; L Maritz 3-13, C Raack 2-20)

Ireland Women won by 28 runs

Ireland’s Women’s Cricket team are all set to face off against Netherlands Women in a four match T20 International series at Malahide from 26th July, 2021. This will be their second T20 home series after defeating Scotland 3-1 in May at Stormont.

The fixtures are:

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

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

28 July 2021: Reserve Day

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

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


Both the teams have met 8 times previously in women’s T20Is with Ireland winning on 7 occasions. Ireland and Netherlands will also head to Spain for the European Qualifiers where  Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, France, Germany and Turkey will compete for a spot at the T20 World Cup global qualifying tournament.

Attending the matches

200 spectators will be permitted inside the stadium with free entry on a first-come first-served basis.

Watch the matches online

The matches will be livestreamed via Cricket Ireland Live on Youtube and livescored via the Cricket Ireland match centre.

Almost half a million views were recorded of the Ireland Women’s series against Scotland in May.

Also read: Disappointed to not score big, focussed to build from here: Suryakumar Yadav

The squads

Ireland Women: 

Laura Delany (captain), Ava Canning, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Lara Maritz, Sophie MacMahon, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron. COVID reserve: Amy Hunter.

Netherlands Women:

Heather Siegers (Captain), Babette de Leede (Vice-Captain), Annemijn van Beuge, Annemijn Thomson, Eva Lynch, Frederique Overdijk, Hannah Landheer, Iris Zwilling, Isabel van der Woning, Julia Corder, Juliet Post, Miranda Veringmeier, Robine Rijke, Silver Siegers.
 

Cricket News: Cricket Ireland on 12th July announced its 14 women squad for their upcoming international series. They will battle it out against the Netherlands at Malahide. The upcoming series will comprise four T20 internationals between 26-30 July 2021.

This will be Ireland Women's second T20I series at home in 2021. They defeated Scotland 3-1 in their first home series this year in May.

Ireland are yet to lose a T20 international against the Netherlands. They have played each other 8 times, Ireland have won on 7 occasions and 1 no result. The two sides will then take part in the T20 World Cup European Qualifier for a spot in the T20 World Cup global qualifying tournament.

The squad is:

Laura Delany (captain), Ava Canning, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Lara Maritz, Sophie MacMahon, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron. COVID reserve: Amy Hunter

The fixtures are:

26 July 2021: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women - 1st T20I (Malahide, starting 4pm)
27 July 2021: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women – 2nd T20I (Malahide, starting 4pm)
28 July 2021: Reserve Day
29 July 2021: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women – 3rd T20I (Malahide, starting 4pm)
30 July 2021: Ireland Women v Netherlands Women – 4th T20I (Malahide, starting 4pm)

Carrie Archer, Chair of National Women’s Selectors, said: “After a positive set of performances to turn around the series against Scotland in May, the squad will certainly be looking to continue its good form in the international arena ahead of the T20 Qualifiers next month.”

“We’re delighted to announce the return of Eimear Richardson to home soil. Eimear has had a stellar season of club and provincial cricket in New Zealand and her experience and all-round skills will be a great addition to the squad. We also welcome back Mary Waldron who has recently returned from Australia, and is in line to play her first international in almost two years.”

“Also re-joining the senior squad is all-rounder Sophie MacMahon. Sophie was unavailable for the Scotland series, but has had some impressive performances in the Super Series white-ball matches, scoring 149 runs at 49.67, and taking six wickets at 23.67 apiece – at an economical rate of 3.42 runs per over. I look forward to seeing her once more in an international jersey.”
 

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.”

Cricket Ireland has announced a club cup competition for women called the Clear Currency All-Ireland T20 Cup which will now be held for both men and women.

The Finals will be held as follows:

Clear Currency All-Ireland T20 Cup Final (Men): Sunday 29 August 2021 at Leinster Cricket Club

Clear Currency All-Ireland T20 Cup Final (Women): Sunday 11 September 2021 at Bready Cricket Club

The winners from the men’s competition will represent the national team at the 2022 European Cricket League. Both the men’s and women’s competition will be strengthened at the grassroot level by sponsor Clear Currency.

Elaine Nolan, Participation Director at Cricket Ireland, said: “We are delighted to launch Ireland’s first all-Ireland club cup competition for women, and hope this will give a positive platform for club cricketers to showcase their talent on the national stage.”

“We’ve seen the success and rise in profile of the men’s all-Ireland T20 Cup since its launch in 2017, and anticipate a similar reception for our new competition. We are in an exciting phase for women’s and girls’ cricket across Ireland, and the launch of this competition will hopefully contribute to that growth of interest and participation.”

“Since the launch of our new Strategic Plan, we have seen a number of key deliverables being rolled out to grow the women’s game – particularly at the grassroots. With the momentum given by this work, and in the wake of the highly successful return of the Ireland Women’s senior team to international cricket, we are looking ahead to a busy year for our sport, and a welcome focus on the women’s game.”

“For the second year running Cricket Ireland and the Provincial Unions have agreed that the iconic Irish Senior Cup and National Cup competitions cannot be held. While we are all disappointed, these will return in 2022.”

“Our thanks to our colleagues in the Provincial Unions and the hosting clubs for supporting the launch of this new competition, and we look forward to seeing some great cricket action later in the summer.”

Paul Reilly, Director for Clear Currency, said: “Clear Currency is delighted to extend its support into the grassroots and domestic Irish cricket set-up by continuing its title sponsorship of the men’s All-Ireland T20 Cup, but also extending our support to the exciting new women’s competition.”

“Club cricket is the heart of the game, and the grassroots is the breeding ground for future internationals – so we see our support as a long-term investment in this great game.”

“We wish the clubs who make it through well, and look forward to watching some highly competitive matches. And we also look forward to a brighter 2022 when all four of these all-Ireland club cup competitions will be back up and running.”

DUBLIN – Last week’s Ireland Women v Scotland Women T20I series enjoyed 476,000 views on its livestream coverage and according to Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom, it is just one measure of the growth of interest in women’s cricket across Ireland, but the aim is to turn these viewers into participants over coming years.

The series saw four T20 Internationals contested at Stormont, with a full-commentary, multi-camera livestream service. Besides, these were also the first international fixtures for the Ireland Women’s team in 625 days, and the first Irish international women’s games at Stormont in 24 years.

The board looked to further mark this return by releasing its first-ever ‘Women & Girl’s Cricket Action Plan’ during the eve of the series. The Plan outlines a range of priority projects over the next three years with an objective of increasing participation, building sustainable structures to support the women’s game, along with growing the profile and awareness of the sport.

And the livestream results, says Deutrom, feed into fulfilling the latter of these three aims. He said: “As part of our work in raising the profile of women’s cricket, we have set out an ambitious livestream programme which will cover home internationals and the women’s domestic Super Series. The intention is based around the excellent catchphrase: “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it”. We wanted to make our games as accessible to as many people as we could, particularly for women and young girls who already play or have an interest in learning more about our sport. The fact that there have been restrictions on spectators at sporting events over the last year only added to the importance of this project.”

“While we believe in the quality and skill of our players, what we have been pleasantly surprised by is the response – over 700,000 views have been logged across our women’s international and Super Series matches so far this season. We have received messages of appreciation from the US, Australia, many Asian nations, as well as from many people across Ireland and the UK who are enjoying the opportunity to see Irish women’s cricket at its best.”

“We believe that the value of investing in providing this service will help build that momentum in growing participation at the grassroots levels of our game. The livestream alone won’t achieve this, but in conjunction with the national programmes we are rolling out under the Action Plan, and the great work already being done by our provincial unions and clubs, we are starting to put sustainable structures in place to grow the game.”

“We have been very fortunate to have a production partner in HBV Studios who have aligned interests. The full livestream programme we have been implementing – which includes men’s and women’s matches – has logged over 2.7 million views this season so far. It’s been a great start, but we recognise there is much more to do in growing the game across Ireland. However, with our new Cricket Ireland Strategic Plan, and the companion Women & Girls’ Cricket Action Plan, we know we have a direction of travel mapped out as we strive to make this a ‘Cricket Island’ once more.”

Ireland Women finished the series in style with a 3-1 win over Scotland at Stormont thanks to Gaby Lewis displaying a Player of the Match performance and Leah Paul with a Player of the Series performance.

Lewis registered her second score above 40 in the series, scoring 49 runs in 40 balls and finished as the top scorer in the series with 116 runs, scoring an average of 29 and a strike rate of 116.

Captain Laura Delaney took Ireland to the brink of victory by scoring 27 runs off 23 balls but fell short due to an LBW dismissal. Shauna Kavanagh wrapped up the 6 wicket victory by powering the last two balls to the boundary.

While Scotland put up a fighting display, Sarah Bryce and Ellen Watson were dismissed early by Ava Canning and Orla Prendergast. Kartherine Bryce scored an impressive 22 runs from 21 balls, scoring two fours and a six but was eventually dismissed by Leah Paul.

Paul’s 10th over significantly turned the tide in Ireland’s favor as she claimed three wickets in four balls and finished the series with nine wickets at an impressive average of 4.44. Scotland lost two more wickets in the 13th over but Megan McColl salvaged the innings with 30* runs from 29 balls to register 99-7 in 20 overs.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Women v Scotland Women, 4th Match, Belfast, 27 May 2021

Scotland 99-7 (20 overs; M McColl 30*; L Paul 3-12)

Ireland 101-4 (13.5 overs; G Lewis 49, L Delany 27; K Bryce 2-23)

Ireland Women won by 6 wickets (Ireland win the series 3-1)

BELFAST – A complete team performance by Ireland Women saw them defeat Scotland by 41 runs in the third T20I at Stormont on Wednesday.

The Irish team compiled a highly competitive 134-8 from their 20 overs as Shauna Kavanagh continued her purple patch with the bat, following up her 31 in the last game with a 30-ball 37 in this match, which also featured two big sixes. She anchored the innings well with her confidence before getting dismissed  LBW while aggressively sweeping Katie McGill.

All of the top five Irish batters got starts, with the side's run rate barely dipping below 6 runs an over throughout the innings.

The Scottish side, in response faltered early, with Orla Prendergast (2-7) dismissing both openers. Prendergast’s match winning performance with the ball deprived Scots of a good start. She bowled with the pace and control and made scoring difficult for the Scot batters.

Leah Paul claimed two wickets (2-12), while Cara Murray too bowled impressively with the figures of 3-18. 

From the Scots, Katherine Bryce hit an unbeaten 45 off 42 balls to keep her side's hopes alive, but the tail couldn't provide much help as they finished on 93-9 with Samantha Haggo being unable to bat due to an injury.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Women v Scotland Women, 3rd Match, Belfast, 26 May 2021

Ireland 134-8 (20 overs; S Kavanagh 37; M McColl 2-16)

Scotland 93-9 (19 overs; K Bryce 45*; C Murray 3-18, O Prendergast 2-7)

Ireland Women won by 41 runs (Ireland lead series 2-1)

BELFAST – Gaby Lewis's quick fire 47 and Leah Paul's four-wicket haul guided Ireland Women to square the T20 series against Scotland at Stormont on Tuesday.

Ireland skipper Laura Delany won the toss and elected to bat first. Opener Rebecca Stokell slammed the first ball over mid-wicket for four, signalling her team's intent early, however both she and skipper Delany were dismissed in quick succession.

Gaby Lewis and Shauna Kavanagh stabilized the innings that shifted the momentum on their side. Lewis timed the ball brilliantly, smashing six boundaries on her way to 47 off 39 balls in a match winning performance, whereas Kavanagh (31) found the gaps consistently and ran hard to keep the fielders under pressure throughout.

Having claimed the wickets of Lewis and Kavanagh within the space of an over, the Scots were almost back in the game. However, Orla Prendergast (24*) and Lara Maritz (16*) added 43 runs from the final 42 balls to complete the host side’s innings at 137-4 from their 20 overs.

From the visiting team, only two Scottish batters made double figures as the Irish side kept the proceedings under control by bowling tight lines, holding every catch and staying exceptionally sharp in the field.

Left-arm spinner Leah Paul bowled with control and flight to claim  4-16 , which is the second finest bowling performance in T20Is for Ireland Women (4-15 from Ciara Metcalfe in 2016 is the best till date). The other Irish bowlers too played their part in an all-round team performance. Prendergast sealed the game, yorking Samantha Haggo as Scotland were all out for 76 in 16.4 overs.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Women v Scotland Women, 2nd Match, Belfast, 25 May 2021

Ireland 137-4 (20 overs; G Lewis 47, S Kavanagh 31; K McGill 2-26)

Scotland 76 (16.4 overs; K McGill 19;  Paul 4-16, L Delany 2-11)

Ireland Women won by 61 runs

BELFAST – Ireland Women, despite putting on an excellent bowling and fielding show, lost the first T20 against Scotland  by 11 runs at Stormont on Monday.

After Scotland won the toss and elected to bat first first, Ireland walked into the field with two debutants – Amy Hunter and Ava Canning. Canning got the initial breakthrough to dismiss Becky Glen in the second over.

Sarah Bryce (14) slammed two deliveries to the boundary but got caught short of her crease by a direct hit from Celeste Raack while attempting a quick single. Shortly afterwards, Kathryn Bryce followed her sister back to the dressing room for 12 and Scotland found themselves struggling at 35-3 in the 9th over.

Skipper Laura Delany clinched two wickets in three balls in the 16th over, to reduce the Scots at 70-6. A wicket by Orla Prendergast from the last ball of her fourth over and wickets from successive deliveries at the start of Raack’s next over handed Ireland a team hat-trick, as the Scots finished on 87-9.

Seeking a positive start, the Irish run chase started on a disappointing note, as they lost Gaby Lewis and Rebecca Stokell – both for 4. Delany and Shauna Kavanagh tried to anchor and build some momentum in their team's innings. However, after a 21-run partnership both Delany (8) and Kavanagh (12) were stumped out.

Leah Paul and Celeste Raack shared a 26-run partnership at the end, but the final two wickets fell from the last two deliveries and Irish side was all out for 76 with one ball left.

Katie McGill was adjudged Player of the Match for her 20 and 3-18.

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Women v Scotland Women, 1st Match, Belfast, 24 May 2021

Scotland 87-9 (20 overs; K McGill 20; C Raack 3-15, L Delany 2-13)

Ireland 76 (19.5 overs; L Paul 18; K McGill 3-18)

Scotland Women won by 11 runs

BELFAST –  The first game of the Ireland v Scotland women’s T20 series was abandoned due to rain on Sunday with both the sides agreeing to reschedule the game to Tuesday. A further change has also been made to increase the playing time in the Series, with today's game now beginning at 11am.

Initially, Tuesday 25 May was set aside as a Reserve Day, which means this will now be activated and become a playing day.

Spectators will be allowed to attend the remaining games of the series. The Cricket Ireland match centre will  livestream and livescore the game.

The series’ fixtures now stand as follows:
24 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 1st T20I (Stormont, starting 11am)
25 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)
 

BELFAST – The upcoming Ireland Women’s T20I series against Scotland at Stormont is all set to become the first home series an Irish international side will be playing in front of spectators since lockdown.

The series will take place from 23 to 27 May 2021, and according to the Northern Ireland Executive’s guidelines, the spectators will be permitted to attend games in Northern Ireland from Monday 24 May 2021.

Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, said: “Having spectators back at games is something we are greatly looking forward to, but I think I can speak for all Irish cricket fans when I say we are probably more excited to see the Ireland Women’s team back playing international cricket after 624 days.”

“Spectators will be permitted to attend Game 2, 3 and 4 of the series, and we look forward to seeing some familiar faces cheering on our team – and I know the squad are looking forward to playing in front of spectators.”

“Understanding the anomaly of our first match on Sunday not being allowed spectators, we made a request to the NI Executive for a special dispensation to allow spectators 24 hours earlier during Game 1. However, this was turned down so the first match of the series must unfortunately remain behind closed doors. Fans will still be able to watch the first match – and indeed all matches in the series – via our enhanced livestream on the YouTube channel: Cricket Ireland Live.”

A number of COVID-19 guidelines will be in place for the spectators including hygiene stations along with a track trace system.

THE SERIES

23 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 1st T20I (Stormont, no spectators permitted)
24 May 2021: Ireland Women v Scotland Women - 2nd T20I (Stormont, starting 1pm)
25 May 2021: Reserve Day (1st & 2nd T20I’s, 1pm start)
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)
 

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)

DUBLIN – Ex Ireland cricketer Cecelia Joyce will make a comeback in competitive cricket action after she was granted the approval to join forces with the Typhoons team for the remaining of the 2021 Arachas Super Series.

Joyce announced her retirement from international cricket in November 2018 after the final game of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. She was a key part of the ‘Girls in Green’ from 2001 to 2018, scoring 2,680 runs in 133 games, retiring as Ireland Women’s second highest run-getter. Joyce, at Super Series level, represented the Dragons and is one of only two players to have a century under her belt in the competition (118 v Scorchers, Oak Hill, 26 May 2018).

The move came after the Typhoons injury issues reduced their team to the point that for several overs in last Sunday’s game they could only put ten fit players to play .

In a press release by Cricket Ireland, Joyce said: “I’ve watched the first two games in the Super Series this year with great interest and am really impressed with the standard of the competition. With the injuries to a couple of the Typhoons players, I have made myself available knowing that while my break from the game will undoubtedly have affected my skills and fitness, I’m confident that my fielding will still be of a decent standard and I can hopefully add something to the playing group in terms of experience. Plus, I’m dying to get back on the field and have some fun!”

Typhoons Head Coach Clare Shillington said: “I’m really delighted that we have Cecelia Joyce joining us for the rest of the season. She has joined us on the back of a number of injuries to provide cover. It’s great to have a player of her experience coming into what is a young squad, and I’m looking forward to getting her back up and running and seeing her scoring plenty of runs for us.”

According to a press release by Cricket Ireland, it has on Monday announced HBV Studios as its livestream partner for a period of three years with around 40 matches being broadcasted alone during 2021. It will be the largest number of elite cricket games to ever be covered by livestream in Ireland.

The improved livestream service will give coverage to all women’s home internationals, Ireland Wolves matches, Inter-Provincial Series and Super Series fixtures, along with men’s home internationals that are not scheduled to be broadcast.

In addition, many of the games being live streamed will have multi-camera coverage and commentary, and fans will also be able to follow the matches through the interactive match centre which will have highlight clips and real-time statistics.



Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, said: “Our purpose is to grow the sport, and visibility of our talented men’s and women’s cricketers is an essential component of that. Despite the challenges of 2020, we launched our new interactive match centre and provided livestream access to all Inter-Provincial Series and Super Series fixtures, as well as the Clear Currency All-Ireland T20 Cup Final. In tandem with our partners at HBV, we have been working hard to improve this service year-on-year for our fans globally, and today is a major step forward in that goal.”

“A key commitment in our recently launched Strategic Plan 2021-2023 is to raise the profile of the women’s game in Ireland. This announcement today will help us take a big step in that direction by allowing us to bring Ireland Women’s home internationals and the Super Series to fans during these COVID-restricted times.”

Heatley Tector, proprietor of HBV Studios Ltd. said: “We’re delighted to sign this three-year agreement with Cricket Ireland - one of the largest of its kind between any National Governing Body and broadcaster in Ireland. To be able to stream up to 40 games this year I believe will have an enormous impact on cricket throughout Ireland.”

“I am particularly looking forward to broadcasting so many women’s games and it will be a great privilege to show the Irish cricketing public and fans of cricket worldwide just how talented our young female cricketers are.”

An expert commentary panel will also be announced ahead of the season. Bonus content and interviews from many games will be available on Cricket Ireland’s website and social media channels.
 

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.