Amy Hunter, a 19-year-old wicketkeeper and batter from Ireland, has firmly made the case that she’s aiming for the Olympic podium. Hunter views T20 cricket’s inclusion at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles as an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She’s looking forward to the potential of being able to call herself an Olympian. Her passion for the sport and dream of Olympic participation have fueled her ambitions as she prepares for upcoming international competitions.
Hunter’s path through the cricket world has not always been paved with success. She lamented just recently on the missed opportunity after failing to qualify for the 50-over Women’s Cricket World Cup. The tournament is scheduled to start in India and Sri Lanka on Sept. 30. Reflecting on this disappointment, she noted, “There were three games we could have won against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and West Indies where we got into winning positions, so that was gutting.”
Even with this blow, large or small, Hunter is hopeful about what’s to come. She’s currently looking ahead towards the next goal of qualifying for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, to be hosted in England. Ireland has already successfully completed the European qualifiers, and Hunter is keen to help her team secure their place in the tournament. She stated, “We completed European qualifiers there successfully and now we go to Nepal in January/February. Four go through from that to make it a 12-team tournament.”
The 2028 Olympics will feature a six-team tournament for men’s and women’s cricket. To not only participate in this thrilling new event, but to help bring the sport back to the Games after 128 years! However, four teams will qualify from the Global Qualifier being held in Nepal. That will make it 12 teams total in the tournament. Hunter said she could be a part of this historic event to show her excitement. I had no idea, though, what sport it would be for, but I just think that it’s such an incredible opportunity to bring all of the best athletes in the world into one location. What an amazing place it would be to be able to walk around the village and experience some of those athletes.
Despite these challenges, Hunter is optimistic about her team’s future. She is confident that two years of T20 World Cup preparation has prepared them to face the challenges ahead. “It’s an amazing opportunity for ourselves. In the past couple of years, we’ve favoured the T20 format for whatever reason, so we’re hopefully in a good position for that and next summer playing in a World Cup in England would be fantastic,” she said.
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