Ireland Women have named a squad of 14 for their four-match Celtic Cup series against traditional rivals Scotland at the start of August.
Laura Delany will lead the 'Girls in Green' in the series which will see the sides play one 50-over and three T20 matches.
The Leinster all-rounder is relishing the opportunity to lead her charges in what are always keenly-contested matches against Scotland.
"After a couple of months off from international duty everyone is really looking forward to the Scotland series," said Delany. "As we look ahead to next year we will be placing a lot of emphasis on the T20 format with the qualifiers taking place in early 2018.
"The Scotland series will be an excellent opportunity for the side to start gearing up for what lies ahead next year."
The squad have all been participating in the ongoing Toyota Super 3 Series, and Delany believes a busy international spring programme is being reflected in the cricket on display.
"The standard of the Super Three's has definitely improved this season and no doubt the tours to the UAE and South Africa has played a part in that.
"It's brilliant to see different players stand up in different games either leading the bowling attack or scoring big runs such as Mary Waldron and Clare Shillington who have been particularly impressive in the T20 format."
Ireland Head Coach Aaron Hamilton echoed Delany's endorsement of the quality of the Super 3 tournament, and was confident of a successful series
"We have seen some strong performances in the recent Super 3's T20 matches from many of the players involved, and this should give them a lot of confidence to perform well against Scotland," said Hamilton.
" This series is very important for us as we look to transfer our focus into T20 cricket leading into the World Cup qualifiers early next year.
" For me this series is about starting to identify the right combinations that will give us the best chance to qualify for the Women's World T20 finals in the West Indies in 2018.
"It's currently an exciting time for women's cricket all over the world. With Cricket Ireland gaining full membership, we look forward to there being increased investment into the sport, which will allow us to take the women's game in Ireland to the next level."
The matches all take place at Forfarshire CC in Dundee, starting on Tuesday August 1st with a 50-over contest, followed the next day by two T20 clashes. The series concludes on Friday August 4th with the final T20 fixture.
IRELAND WOMEN'S SQUAD
Laura Delany (Captain) (Typhoons/Leinster), Aoife Beggs (Scorchers/YMCA), Kim Garth (Scorchers/Pembroke), Cecelia Joyce (Dragons/Merrion), Isobel Joyce (Scorchers/Merrion), Shauna Kavanagh (Dragons/Pembroke), Amy Kenealy (Typhoons/Leinster), Gaby Lewis (Dragons/YMCA), Robyn Lewis (Typhoons/YMCA), Louise Little (Typhoons/Pembroke), Lara Maritz (Dragons/Malahide), Ciara Metcalfe (Dragons/The Hills), Clare Shillington (Typhoons/YMCA), Mary Waldron (Dragons/Malahide)
FIXTURES
All games at Forfarshire Cricket Club in Dundee.
Ireland Women v Scotland Women - Tuesday 1st August – 50-overs
Ireland Women v Scotland Women - Wednesday 2nd August – 2x T20's
Ireland Women v Scotland Women - Friday 4th August – T20