At Aitchison College Ground in Lahore, Ireland Women will face West Indies Women in the 3rd warm-up match of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2025, marking the formal start of the journey to the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. This game establishes the tone for the massive qualification round, in which countries compete for a coveted World Cup spot.
While the seasoned West Indies, captained by Hayley Matthews, will try to dominate early, Ireland, under the leadership of Gaby Lewis, hopes to leave a lasting impression with their growing talent. Both sides are keen to evaluate their strengths and improve their combinations, so this matchup should be an interesting beginning to the crucial qualification process.
Squads:
Ireland Women’s Cricket Team
Gaby Lewis, Orla Prendergast, Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Laura Delany, Sarah Forbes, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Kia McCartney, Cara Murray, Leah Paul
West Indies Women’s Cricket Team
Hayley Matthews, Shemaine Campbelle, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Jannillea Glasgow, Chinelle Henry, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams, Zaida James
Players to watch out:
Orla Prendergast
Orla Prendergast, the 21-year-old emerging star for Ireland, bowls medium-pace effectively and can hit a long ball. She has the ability to form defining partnerships and quicken the scoring rate. She uses disciplined line and length with the ball, taking 18 wickets in 22 innings while scoring 819 runs at a strike rate of 75 in 32 WODIs.
Arlene Kelly
Arlene Kelly, a vital member of Ireland’s bowling attack, contributes accuracy and adaptability to the squad. She is a useful lower-order batter who can provide vital runs when needed, and she can bowl both in the powerplay and at the end. In WODIs, she has taken 34 wickets at an economy rate of 4.89 and scored 342 runs in her 26 innings.
Hayley Matthews
The core of the West Indies Women’s side is batter and all-rounder Hayley Matthews, who excels as a dependable off-spin bowler and a devastating opening batter. Despite just being 27 years old, she has leadership skills, experience, and the ability to win games and has already played important roles in ICC events. In WODI, she has amassed 2682 runs at a strike rate of 73.27 in 87 innings and claimed 106 wickets at an economy rate of 4.06 in 84 innings.
Stafanie Taylor
One of the most successful all-rounders in women’s cricket is Stafanie Taylor, a West Indies cricket veteran. She is a reliable middle-order batter because she can anchor the innings and change gears when necessary. She makes important breakthroughs with her equally skillful off-spin bowling. At an economy rate of 3.56, she has taken 155 wickets in 138 innings and scored 5691 runs in 154 innings at WODIs.
Pitch:
It is anticipated that the Aitchison College Ground’s pitch would be balanced, helping bowlers and batters alike. While spinners can extract turns as the game goes on, pacers will find early movement. In previous games, scores of between 230 and 250 have been competitive, and as the wicket deteriorates, stroke play gets harder.
Weather:
Lahore is forecasted to experience warm, dry weather with highs of about 30°C. Players will find the conditions comfortable due to the modest humidity levels. Rain is not predicted; thus, the game will go on without interruption.
Fantasy Playing XI:
Hayley Matthews, Gaby Lewis, Laura Delany, Stafanie Taylor, Orla Prendergast, Chinelle Henry, Shemaine Campbelle, Amy Hunter, Afy Fletcher, Arlene Kelly, Karishma Ramharack
Match details:
Date – April 5, 2025
Time – 10:00 AM IST
Venue – Aitchison College ground, Lahore, Pakistan
Broadcast – Fans can catch the live action on ICC.TV
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