With the ODI series already decided in West Indies Women’s favour at 2-0, Ireland Women have one final opportunity to finish on a high when they face the visitors in the third ODI at Bready Cricket Club on July 15. Although the results have not gone their way, Ireland have shown encouraging signs with the bat, particularly through their experienced top order. As they look to avoid a series whitewash, much of the responsibility will once again rest on Gaby Lewis, Amy Hunter and Louise Little. All three have played important roles at different stages of the tour and will be eager to deliver another strong performance in the series finale.
Gaby Lewis
Ireland captain Gaby Lewis has once again underlined why she is the backbone of the batting unit. Across her last 10 Women’s ODIs, she has scored 441 runs at an impressive average of 44.10, striking at 77.77, making her Ireland’s most consistent batter heading into the third ODI. Her ability to anchor the innings while accelerating when required has been vital for a relatively young batting line-up. While she missed out on converting her starts into a major score in the opening two ODIs, her experience against the West Indies attack remains invaluable. In the second ODI, Lewis once again looked assured during her stay at the crease, helping Ireland negotiate the new ball before the middle order took over. With Ireland searching for a consolation victory, the skipper’s role in setting up a competitive total will be more important than ever.
Amy Hunter
Few Irish players have looked as fluent throughout the tour as Amy Hunter. The young wicketkeeper-batter carried her confidence from the preceding T20I series, where she was among Ireland’s better performers with the bat, into the ODI leg. Hunter has accumulated 425 runs in her last nine Women’s ODIs, averaging 47.22 with a strike rate of 91, reflecting both consistency and positive intent. Her finest performance of the ongoing ODI series came in the second ODI at Bready, where she produced a classy 67 under pressure. Walking in after an early wicket, Hunter combined sensible stroke-making with calculated aggression, ensuring Ireland recovered from a difficult position. Her innings laid the foundation for Ireland’s competitive 241/7, showcasing excellent shot selection against both pace and spin.
Louise Little
While much of the attention has understandably centred on Ireland’s batting, Louise Little has quietly established herself as one of the team’s most dependable pace options. The right-arm seamer enters the third ODI with eight wickets from her last five Women’s ODIs, maintaining an impressive economy rate of 4.43, highlighting both her control and wicket-taking ability. Little also impressed during the T20I series, consistently bowling disciplined spells with the new ball and at the death. Her ability to maintain tight lines has often forced opposition batters into mistakes, making her a crucial component of Ireland’s bowling attack. Although the West Indies batters dominated the chase in the second ODI, Little continued to ask questions with her accuracy and extracted movement whenever conditions allowed.
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