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Ireland Women’s team lost both of their Twenty20s against Pakistan yesterday, but coach Jeremy Bray says there are a lot of positives to take out of the two contests.
Ireland batted first twice and got off to a great start in each game. In the morning’s match Clare Shillington reached 43 before she was caught in extra cover. Isobel Joyce opened with her and scored 23 before misjudging a quick single. From there, the girls in green suffered somewhat of a collapse before Laura Delany (21) came in at six and some good running and smart shots from the Leinster opener saw Ireland push their score up to 116.

Pakistan started their innings well but the introduction of Kim Garth into the attack changed the face of the game as she dismissed both openers caught behind in quick succession. It was the breakthrough Ireland needed and when Delany dismissed danger woman Nain Abidi (17) it looked like the Irish girls could pull off a win.

Nida Rashid was the difference between the two sides, however, as her classy 39 from 24 coming in at number five put the game out of Ireland’s reach, even after claiming two quick wickets near the end. Pakistan won by four wickets in the second last ball of the penultimate over.

The afternoon’s game started similarly to the first with Joyce and Shillington getting off to a blistering start against Pakistan’s seamers, but when first Shillington (42) and then Joyce (24) were out, both caught, Ireland’s hopes of posting a total much beyond what they scored in the first game were somewhat scuppered.

Eimear Richardson had different ideas, though, and her entertaining display of 24 from 24 helped Ireland to what could be considered a disappointing – considering the start the openers had – 119 for 6. Unfortunately, Ireland’s bowling was below par in the second match and they failed to take a wicket as Javeria Wawood (56) and Javeria Rauf (40) passed their target in the 19th over.

Youngster Lucy O’Reilly was selected for her first cap in the day’s second game and bowled two overs for 13 runs. She became the second youngest female cricketer to play international cricket and the youngest Ireland international.

Bray says his team have learned some valuable lessons ahead of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifiers later this month. “I’ve been really pleased with the intent the girls have shown when batting. Yes, we’ve perhaps made a few wrong decisions but that’s the only way we are going to learn and hopefully by the time the qualifiers come around we will have put a few of those things right.

“I think we are just five or 10 percent off where we need to be to start winning games like we played yesterday. If just one more person pitches in with 20 or 30 in each game and if we can bowl to our fields with a bit more discipline, it will make all of the difference for us.

“We are looking forward to playing our first International ODI of 2013 tomorrow against the same opposition and hopefully the girls can keep going on an upwards slope and get that win.”

Cricket Ireland
YMCA youngster Lucy O’Reilly received her first cap in Ireland’s second match yesterday
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