Ireland’s women’s cricket team are riding high on a wave of confidence! They are looking ahead to their World Cup qualifier, starting on Wednesday against Pakistan. Team captain Gaby Lewis believes that her squad are ready. She emphasized the diligence and preparation they’ve invested as they head into the tournament.
This is no small thing—the stakes couldn’t be higher! Only the top two teams from this qualifier will qualify for the eight-team World Cup set for September. Ireland’s hope of doing this would have to depend a lot on the performance of their key players, most notably Orlaith Delany. Lewis put a spotlight on Delany’s impact this season, saying her recent game lately has been playing lights out.
So far, she’s put on an incredible performance in the first two warm-up games. She has been a tremendous resource for us these past 12 months. I just look forward to seeing her in action with bat and ball in this qualifier tournament! Lewis was referring to Delany, who hit two consecutive half-centuries in the warm-up matches.
Delany has put on some great shows. The squad sees the return of Amy Hunter and Jane Maguire, who are back from injury. Their participation means even more star power to an already impressive lineup. On top of that, provider of fresh legs and attitude Kia McCartney earned her first call-up to the national team.
Ireland have been well prepared, staging an extensive training camp in Dubai. There, players have adapted to the heat, a key factor to them performing well throughout the tournament. Captain Lewis emphasized the importance of this preparation, stating, “We’re feeling very confident going into this qualifier. We’ve had some great preparation leading up to it with a good training camp in Dubai, and we’ve been working really hard to acclimatise to the heat.”
The team recognizes the challenges ahead. Ireland will start out against heavyweights in a round robin group. In addition to Pakistan, they’ll face the West Indies, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Scotland. As intense as the moment was, Lewis challenged her squad to remain in touch with having fun while playing their game.
We’re just—not wanting to over-hype ourselves. So let’s hit the town and have some fun! Learn to love our violence, and the victories will surely come. she stated.
For Ireland, an ODI World Cup has not been qualified for since 2005, so this qualifier medium rare was especially important. Notably, they placed second in last year’s T20 World Cup qualifier, proving to the world their talent is undeniable and ever-growing. Ireland arrives full of confidence and with an array of world-class players and formidable squad designed for success. They’re trying to lock down a top spot at the 2023 World Cup.
Leave a Reply