Last Tuesday saw the Irish Women’s cricket squad in Dublin Airport heading off to India for the World T20 Finals. The team have been drawn in Group A together with Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa and pre-tournament favourites and holders of the trophy, Australia. The top two teams after the Group stage will advance to the semi-finals.
The first game for Ireland is on 18th March against New Zealand. New Zealand qualified for this competition by finishing in the top 8 in the previous edition held in Bangladesh two years ago. The game will take place in Mohali, Punjab, situated in the very north of the country. The stadium has a 23,000 capacity and will also host Ireland’s second game, versus Sri Lanka two days later.
The games against Ireland will be both New Zealand’s and Sri Lanka’s second games, having played each other days earlier in New Delhi. This trip to Mohali for New Zealand and Sri Lanka of 250 km between their opening game and playing Ireland pales in comparison with the 2,000 km that Ireland have to travel for third game versus South Africa in Chennai on 23rd March.
Ireland then face another mammoth journey of 2,000 km to New Delhi for their final group game versus Australia on 26th March. This means that the Irish will have played four games in three venues and travelled a total of 4,000 km in 8 days. This in itself will be extremely taxing on bodies and minds and hopefully won’t affect the performances too much. It is an exhaustive schedule and seems to be very much in favour of the favourites. The Australians, by contrast, play two games in Nagpur followed by two games in New Delhi. Their total travelling distance is 850 km over the same eight days.
In order to qualify for the semi-finals Ireland will probably have to win at least two games, although winning three of the four games scheduled would almost definitely see them through. Given the Australians have won three of the four editions held to date, and they have just held a most successful domestic inaugural Big Bash tournament, they are worthy favourites and toppling them would exceed anything the Men have achieved at world cups. Sri Lanka might offer an opportunity, having only won 4 out of 16 games, for an Irish victory, but it must be remembered that Ireland have not yet recorded any wins to date. New Zealand have been runners up twice and always provide a strong challenge to the established top two of England and Australia, whilst South Africa’s Women’s team has never lived up to the levels of their Men’s team. Although saying that the South African Women reached the semi-finals at the previous tournament. So safe to say it is a difficult challenge ahead for Ireland, but importantly, past performance is no indication as to future performance and it would be a huge achievement for Ireland to record their first victory at a finals, let alone finish in the top two.
Ireland are the only team in the competition whose squad contains a player, Catherine Dalton, who plays her cricket in a country other than the one she is representing here in India. Catherine plays her cricket currently for Middlesex, having previously played for Essex. She is the one professional in the squad and obtained an Irish passport in time to make her debut in the final of the qualifying tournament in Bangladesh last year. She is likely to be the only player in India who has also played top-flight football, having been seen in the colours of West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspurs.
Ireland also has both the “least youngest” and the youngest player in their squad. Only two players in the competition were born in the 1970’s and the least young is Ciara Metcalfe. Ciara slightly edges England’s captain Charlotte Edwards by less than three months. At the opposite end of the age spectrum Ireland’s squad contains three of the four youngest players. Robyn Lewis (July 1999) and Lucy O’Reilly (November 1999) are both 16. However two players were born in the 21st century: Bangladesh’s Nahida Akter (March 2000 – and a very happy birthday to her) who is also just 16 and Gaby Lewis (March 2001) who will not turn 15 until after Ireland’s group games are done and dusted. The Irish squad has an average age of 25.
Ciara Metcalfe also holds the distinction in that out of the 15 players selected for Ireland’s squad, she is the only one who bats left-handed. Ireland has plenty of bowling options with only wicket-keeper Mary Waldron not listed with a bowling action. Two players bowl left-handed, Isobel Joyce (seam) and Robyn Lewis (orthodox spin).
YMCA C.C. provide a third of the squad with five players, whilst the other clubs represented are: Pembroke C.C. [3], Merrion C.C. [3], Leinster C.C. [2], Malahide [1] and Middlesex [1]. It is hoped that in years to come that players from the NCU and the NWCU will emerge and challenge the dominance the LCU has at this stage.
So we watch from afar, and hope that the Women perform to their best and fly the flag for Irish cricket proudly. They may not be favourites, they may not qualify for the semi-finals, but with the preparation they have put in over the winter under the watchful eye of Aaron Hamilton, they will not lack for fitness nor application. They deserve our fullest support and no doubt they will get it. Due to the wonders of social media and the interweb we might not be there, but we can follow, cheer and make sure they all know we are here, wishing them the very best and looking forward to seeing which politician races out to the airport to welcome them home.
G’wan the Girls!!