IRELAND WOMEN have named a thrilling 14-strong squad for the three-ODI series against West Indies, including eight uncapped players. This squad features uncapped trio Cade Carmichael, Tom Mayes and Liam McCarthy. Collectively, this is a huge opportunity for developing talents. It will be the first matches for the West Indies in Ireland since 2019!
The ODIs, in Dublin, will be held on May 21, 23 and 25. Following that, three T20s are scheduled for June 12, 14 and 15 in the North West. Stirling will captain Ireland in both series, with Lorcan Tucker as vice-captain. Most remarkable of all is the presence of Josh Little on the squad. He has found fortune with the Indian Premier League.
Ireland’s cricketing history with the West Indies provides an even more interesting backdrop to these upcoming contests. The two teams last met in Hobart during the 2022 T20 World Cup. Ireland snatched an extraordinary win in that game. In fact, their historical matchup dates back to 1969, when Ireland stunned West Indies with a nine-wicket victory at Sion Mills after bowling them out for just 25 runs.
Mark Adair will miss the ODIs through injury. He has been included in the squad for the T20 series. At the same time, Liam McCarthy holds his spot on both teams, a testament to his continued development inside the squad structure.
Heinrich Malan, Head Coach for Irish men’s cricket said his side were looking forward to the challenge. He recognised just how dangerous the West Indies team are and insists that strong competition will be key in this series.
“Obviously they have been very successful in the past and I think they’ve got a real push on to try and get back to those days. So we’re looking forward to a very competitive series and hopefully it will be six good games of cricket.” – Heinrich Malan
Malan noted the importance of making a strong impression in the North West:
“It’s no pressure on the lads up there in the North West to make sure that they have a good couple of nights when we arrive.”
Reflecting on the T20 matches, Malan added,
“But we are looking forward to playing at Bready against them. From a T20 perspective they’ve shown that they’ve got some real power with both the bat and the ball so we’ll have our work cut out for us but we are looking forward to the challenge.”
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