A long wait comes to an end for Scotland and Ireland as the teams will face each other in a much anticipated four-match T20 international series scheduled to be held at Belfast. After a very long procedure of rigorous planning, the Scotland vs Ireland series had been called off in March due to the rules imposed on traveling by the authorities of Spain.
Starting the series from 23rd May, the Scotland team would be playing an international match for the first time since September 2019. The sisters’ duo Kathryn Bryce and Sarah Bryce will be leading the team with the former as the captain and the latter playing the role of the vice-captain. The squad will be coached by Mark Coles who’ll be the head coach for the side.
“It’s great to finally have international cricket to look forward to. It’s been a long wait for the players and I know they can’t wait to get out there again. We’ve got a good mix of youth and experience in the team so this will be a good yardstick for me to see where we are currently and the work that lies ahead of us as we head into World Cup and Commonwealth Games qualifiers,” said Coles.
This series will be very much crucial for Scotland. Having played zero tournaments in the year 2020 due to the pandemic, this series will open the doors for not just the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup but also the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games for the team. This entire year will now be very pivotal for the team if they want to secure a position at the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.
“I’m absolutely delighted at the prospect of wearing the Irish shirt again. We have worked hard over the winter period, now we need games to assess where we are at. It’s important for the development and growth of the women’s game that our fixtures are spread across the country. To play at Stormont will not only be a fantastic experience for the players but will be a boost for the women’s game in Northern Ireland,” said Irish skipper Laura Delany.
“It goes without saying that we’re pleased to see this series gave the green light- with a T20 World Cup Qualifier set for August and a 50-over World Cup Qualifier in December, we need to play as much competitive cricket this year as we can,” said Ireland coach Ed Joyce.
The 4 games are scheduled on the 23rd, 24th, 26th, and 27th of this month.
(Source: Cricket Scotland)
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