Ireland's 14-Member Squad for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup European Qualifier 2025 Announced

Ireland have unveiled their 14-player squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup European Qualifier, to be staged in the Netherlands from 20 to 27 August 2025. The tournament, featuring a double round-robin against hosts Netherlands, Italy, and Germany, will see the top two teams progress to the Global Qualifier — the penultimate step towards securing a coveted berth at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Leadership and Key Players for the Ireland Women’s team

Leading the charge will be 24-year-old Gaby Lewis, fresh from a fine run of form that saw her nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July 2025. Lewis, who has been in imperious touch with the bat, will captain the side with Orla Prendergast as her deputy. Prendergast’s own rise has been remarkable — now sitting at No.10 in the ICC Women’s ODI all-rounder rankings and No.6 in the T20I list — and she will once again be a key figure with both bat and ball.

The squad boasts a formidable mix of young firebrands and seasoned campaigners, a balance that National Women’s Selector Ciara O’Brien believes is tailor-made for the demands of qualification cricket. “Qualifier campaigns are notoriously tough, with fixtures coming thick and fast. The squad we have chosen, while relatively young in age, have almost 650 caps collectively in the T20I format, so have plenty of experience to draw upon. This experience, as well as a recent hard-fought series win over Pakistan, have the players in a good place and eager to take the first steps towards world cup qualification,” O’Brien said.

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Ireland’s Recent Form

Ireland’s road to the Qualifier has been paved with notable success. On home soil, they swept Zimbabwe 3-0 in the T20Is, with Lewis amassing 154 runs and leg-spinner Cara Murray topping the wicket charts with 7 scalps. Against Pakistan, they battled to a 2-1 series triumph, driven by Prendergast’s all-round brilliance — 144 runs and 4 wickets — alongside Lara McBride’s own haul of 4 wickets.

Only one change has been made from the Pakistan series squad — Alana Dalzell replaces Louise Little.

Ireland Women’s Cricket Squad:

Gaby Lewis – captain
Ava Canning
Christina Coulter Reilly
Alana Dalzell
Laura Delany
Amy Hunter
Arlene Kelly
Jane Maguire
Lara McBride
Cara Murray
Leah Paul
Orla Prendergast – vice-captain
Freya Sargent
Rebecca Stokell

The Road Ahead for Ireland Women’s Team

The stakes will only rise from here. The Global Qualifier will host ten teams — including Bangladesh and Scotland from the 2024 edition, Asia’s Thailand and Nepal, USA from the Americas, two qualifiers each from Africa and Europe, and one from the East Asia-Pacific region.

From there, two groups of five will battle through the Super Six stage to the Final, with precious spots at the world’s biggest stage on the line. For Ireland, the first hurdle begins in the Netherlands, where momentum, experience, and recent form could just be the perfect combination.