Cricket Ireland has today named the squad for Ireland Women’s tour of England next month which will feature a warm-up match and three one-day internationals as part of the ICC Women’s Championship.
The squad is:
- Gaby Lewis (captain) (Phoenix)
- Christina Coulter Reilly (Clontarf)
- Georgina Dempsey (Phoenix)
- Amy Hunter (Instonians/Malahide)
- Arlene Kelly (Malahide)
- Louise Little (Pembroke)
- Jane Maguire (The Hills)
- Lara McBride (The Hills)
- Kia McCartney (Coleraine)
- Cara Murray (Waringstown/Clontarf)
- Leah Paul (Merrion)
- Orla Prendergast (Pembroke)
- Rebecca Stokell (Merrion)
- Alice Tector (Phoenix)
The tour fixtures are:
- 29 August 2026: Ireland Women v ECB Development XI – Warm-up match (Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester; 10.30am start)
- 1 September 2026: England Women v Ireland Women – 1st ODI (Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester; 1pm start)
- 3 September 2026: England Women v Ireland Women – 2nd ODI (The OurCoop County Ground, Derby; 1pm start)
- 6 September 2026: England Women v Ireland Women – 3rd ODI (New Road, Worcester ; 10.30am start)
Recently-appointed Ireland National Women’s Selector, Lauren Rowles, said:
“Since starting in this role, I have come to appreciate two key aspects of the Ireland Women’s system. There is real competition for places in the short-term and there is an exciting depth of talent coming through the pipeline which is promising for the medium-to-long term.
“To have genuine competition for places within a senior squad is important as it drives standards and raises the desire of players to achieve more with every opportunity they get. This makes my role harder, which is a good thing, as we try to match the skill sets offered by players to the roles that our tactics require. Form is crucial, but only one aspect that was considered. What we are looking for is to develop a squad that understands what is required at this level to succeed – and you can only do that through first-hand experience.
“That’s why the ICC Women’s Championship is so important. It provides a regular programme of fixtures against the world’s best sides, which in turn benefits the development and competitiveness of our players. Last month’s series against the West Indies was a case in point. While results didn’t go our way, the exposure that many of our players had to competing against one of the world’s best sides really drove the desire of our players to set their sights at that level.
“Arlene Kelly returns to the squad after returning from injury, as does Alice Tector. Kia McCartney retains her place as a spinning option – however, Aimee Maguire, Sarah Forbes and Ava Canning miss out due to injury.”
Follow the series:
- Scorecards: see here
- Broadcast: to be advised
- Tickets: now available
