The Ireland women’s cricket team is currently facing England in a bilateral series. The three ODIs were held in Belfast from September 7th to 11th, while the two T20Is are scheduled for Dublin on September 14th and 15th. England claimed the ODI series 2-1, but Ireland made history by securing their first win against England in 23 years—the last one occurring on August 12th, 2001.
In a recent development, Una Raymond-Hoey had to pull out of the T20I squad due to a recurrence of a quad injury from last month. Louise Little has been named as her replacement. Raymond-Hoey has played 7 ODIs, scoring 106 runs, and 8 T20Is, with 24 runs. She made her ODI debut on August 9th, 2016, against South Africa, and her T20I debut on May 26th, 2019, against West Indies, with her top score of 42 coming against New Zealand.
Louise Little, who has featured in 6 ODIs and 27 T20Is, has scored 71 runs and taken 3 wickets in 17 international innings. Her last appearance for Ireland was during their Zimbabwe tour in February this year. In the 2024 Super 20 Trophy, she was the 11th highest run-scorer with 79 runs in 5 matches, along with 2 wickets.
In the first ODI, England captain Kate Cross, on her debut as skipper, delivered a standout performance, claiming 6 wickets for 30 runs, dismantling Ireland’s batting lineup and giving England a strong start in the series. Despite this, Ireland made a strong comeback.
In the second ODI, Tammy Beaumont’s unbeaten 150 off 139 balls helped England dominate with a 275-run victory, leveling the series. While Beaumont continued to excel with a 52 off 42 balls in the third game, Ireland seized a historic series win as England’s support faltered.
Ireland’s win was highlighted by Aimee Maguire’s outstanding 5-wicket haul, taking 5 for 19 just days after her 18th birthday. Gaby Lewis was Ireland’s top scorer with 72 off 56 balls, while Leah Paul contributed 22 off 23 balls, and Amy Hunter added 18 off 18. Although Ireland faced a mini collapse after Lewis’ dismissal, Dalzell’s calm under pressure led them to victory.
As the focus shifts to the T20I series, Ireland has yet to beat England in this format, having lost their only two previous encounters. The upcoming matches offer them a prime opportunity to claim their first-ever T20I win against England.
“If you suffer a defeat in the last game of the series, you’re on a bit of a downer coming into the next series. But that just puts the defeat to the back of your mind. It’s not forgotten, we have obviously learned from it, but all you can all you can remember is the buzz we had on Wednesday… We’re looking forward to a 2-0 series win this weekend,” said Gaby Lewis as sourced from ESPN.