Ireland women announce squad for England ODIs

Cricket Ireland has announced a 13-player squad for the upcoming three-match ODI tour of England. Gaby Lewis will lead the team in the bilateral contest, which is part of the ICC Women’s Championship.

The tour will get underway with a warm-up game between Ireland and ECB Development XI at the County Ground, Leicester, on August 29. The first ODI will be played at County Ground in Leicester on September 1. The County Ground in Derby will host the second one-dayer, and the third ODI will be held at New Road in Worcester.

Ireland's newly-appointed National Women’s Selector, Lauren Rowles, is happy with the talent in the domestic circuit and the competition for places existing in the national side.

“Since starting in this role, I have come to appreciate two key aspects of the Ireland Women’s system. There is real competition for places in the short-term, and there is an exciting depth of talent coming through the pipeline which is promising for the medium-to-long term," Rowles said in a statement issued by Cricket Ireland.

“To have genuine competition for places within a senior squad is important as it drives standards and raises the desire of players to achieve more with every opportunity they get. This makes my role harder, which is a good thing, as we try to match the skill sets offered by players to the roles that our tactics require. Form is crucial, but only one aspect that was considered. What we are looking for is to develop a squad that understands what is required at this level to succeed – and you can only do that through first-hand experience.

“That’s why the ICC Women’s Championship is so important. It provides a regular programme of fixtures against the world’s best sides, which in turn benefits the development and competitiveness of our players. Last month’s series against the West Indies was a case in point. While results didn’t go our way, the exposure that many of our players had to competing against one of the world’s best sides really drove the desire of our players to set their sights at that level.

“Arlene Kelly returns to the squad after returning from injury, as does Alice Tector. Kia McCartney retains her place as a spinning option – however, Aimee Maguire, Sarah Forbes and Ava Canning miss out due to injury.”

Ireland squad for ODI series against England

Gaby Lewis (captain) (Phoenix), Christina Coulter Reilly (Clontarf), Georgina Dempsey (Phoenix), Amy Hunter (Instonians/Malahide), Arlene Kelly (Malahide), Louise Little (Pembroke), Jane Maguire (The Hills), Lara McBride (The Hills), Kia McCartney (Coleraine), Cara Murray (Waringstown/Clontarf), Leah Paul (Merrion), Orla Prendergast (Pembroke), Rebecca Stokell (Merrion), Alice Tector (Phoenix)

England vs Ireland ODIs