Alana Dalzell’s Personal Details:
Name: Alana Dalzell
Date of Birth: 26th March 2001
Batting Style: Right-hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right-arm Medium
Role: Bowler
Alana Dalzell arrives at the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup as a promising 25-year-old right-arm medium pacer whose steady rise and all-round potential make her one to watch for Ireland. A product of the North West cricketing heartland, Dalzell blends disciplined seam bowling with useful lower-order batting and an appetite for big occasions, attributes that helped Ireland secure World Cup qualification and will be vital as they face a daunting Group 2 that includes hosts England, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka and neighbours Scotland.
Alana Dalzell’s International Career
Alana Dalzell’s international journey has been compact but meaningful. She made her WODI debut on 14 June 2022 against South Africa in Dublin and stepped into T20Is on 23 October 2023 versus Scotland. Since then, she has featured in 22 T20Is, picking up 17 wickets at an average of 26.82 and an economy of 6.85, solid returns for a seam bowler operating in the power-centric T20 format. In ICC qualifying action in Nepal, she returned four wickets in five matches (avg. 32.25, econ. 7.58) and also chipped in with lower-order runs, underscoring her multidimensional value.
Domestically, Dalzell has been a consistent performer in the Women’s Super Series. After spells with Scorchers, she moved to Dragons in 2022 and was the third-highest run-scorer for her side in the recent Ireland Super T20 Series. Opening the batting for the Dragons, she amassed 129 runs in six innings at a striking 153.57 and an average of 21.50, evidence of her positive intent at the top. That attacking edge with the bat, combined with line-and-length seam bowling, gives Ireland flexibility in squad construction and match tactics.
Dalzell’s recent form has been mixed but encouraging. She featured in Ireland’s decisive 62-run win over Thailand on 1 February 2026 that sealed World Cup qualification and has been part of the squad during a preparatory tri-series with West Indies and Pakistan. In that series, playing under stand-in skipper Orla Prendergast, Dalzell has picked up a couple of wickets in three matches at an economy of 10.12 while contributing 8 runs with the bat. Those outings, including a close DLS victory over the West Indies, should help sharpen her match awareness ahead of the opening game against Scotland at Old Trafford on 13 June.
Off the field, Dalzell’s story is rooted in community and family. Born in Londonderry and raised near Bready, County Tyrone, she comes from a sport-loving family: father Alan nurtured backyard games that kindled her cricketing ambitions, while mother Hilary and siblings Adam and Alix provided steadfast support. Alix also plays for Bready Cricket Club, where Alana developed through club cricket before progressing to the national stage. Dalzell became the first player from the North West to appear in a WODI since Julie Logue in 1996, and in June 2024, she was awarded a full-time professional contract by Cricket Ireland, a milestone reflecting both her potential and the growth of the women’s game in Ireland.
Tactically, Dalzell offers Ireland a dependable seam option who can bowl sensible middle overs, move the ball early and temper run flow at key moments. Her ability to open the batting in domestic T20s gives the management options in balancing the top order and strengthening depth. For a team hunting its first World Cup win since rejoining the global stage, Dalzell’s steady seam, evolving batting, and connection to grassroots cricket make her an emblem of Ireland’s blend of resilience and ambition at this expanded 12-team World Cup.
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