Ireland Team Preview: Time to bounce back in sight of the World T20

After suffering heavy defeats against New Zealand, Ireland will be looking to turn their fortune around in their upcoming series with Bangladesh- a team that is in formidable form, having just won the Asia Cup by edging out the likes of India and Pakistan. The series starts on the 28th of June and consists of 3 T20Is.



 



Here is the Team Preview of Ireland:



Key Players:



Irish skipper, Laura Delany will play an important role in the side in terms of leading from the front. As captain, responsibility will fall on her to rally her relatively young team after their devastating losses against New Zealand and inspire them to do better.



Young guns Lara Maritz and Gaby Lewis will also play pivotal roles in the side. In their one-off T-20 against the White Ferns, all-rounder Lewis smashed an unbeaten 61 and her wily leg-break can bamboozle any batter, making her a valuable asset to the Irish squad. Bowler Maritz has the ability to rip apart a batting line-up, as proven by her four-wicket haul against New Zealand- a team that arguably boasts one of the best batting line-ups in women’s cricket at the moment- making her a vital part of the team as well.



 



Strengths:



The fact that Ireland has a relatively young squad may go in their favour as Bangladesh have not yet come up against them, therefore will not know what to expect, giving Ireland the upper hand.



Secondly, though they may have lost their series against New Zealand, the Irish players will have learnt immensely from it. This experience would only have helped them improve and become a better side, one that has learnt from its mistakes and is determined to not repeat them.



 



Weaknesses:



Inconsistent performances with the bat and their inability to build big partnerships is a weakness of the Irish side. This, coupled with indisciplined bowling at times prevents the team from achieving its true potential.



 



Importance:



This series gives Ireland the perfect opportunity to see how they have improved after their defeat. It will also help them see how they compare against a side that is in such good form heading into the World T-20 Qualifiers. A win here would give them the confidence and momentum they need going into such an important tournament.



Ireland Squad for T20Is against Bangladesh announced



 



Squad: Laura Delany (C), Kim Garth, Cecelia Joyce, Isobel Joyce, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Lara Maritz, Ciara Metcalfe, Cara Murray, Orla Prendergast, Eimear Richardson, Clare Shillington, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron