Ireland have named a young squad led by Laura Delany for the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, set to be played in South Africa next month.
The Irish side will mark their return to the ICC event after last appearing in the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup.
Delany and Co. will depart from Dublin on January 27 and join a six-day preparatory camp in Cape Town on January 28 before they play two warm-up games against Bangladesh.
Ireland will then move on to Stellenbosch to play two official warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Australia. They will start their T20 World Cup 2023 campaign against England on February 13. India, Pakistan and West Indies are the other teams in their group.
“It was incredibly rewarding and encouraging to see our squad progress so far both on and off the field in 2022, recording a number of breakthrough results as a team and as individuals. While there were numerous highlights, the most gratifying of all was the successful T20 World Cup qualifying campaign. We haven’t featured in a global tournament since 2018. While we came heartbreakingly close at the 2019 qualifier, we ultimately fell short, so this year’s qualification felt like redemption and reward for the hard work the players, coaches and support staff have put in,” said Carrie Archer, the Irish Selector in his statement.
Coached by former Ireland and England international Ed Joyce, Ireland Women won eight T20Is last year. It was their joint-best performance in a year in the shortest format in women’s cricket.
Ireland’s squad for T20 World Cup 2023: Laura Delany (captain), Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Arlene Kelly, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.
