Ireland’s National Cricket Team had no delays in setting off on the Road to the T20I World Cup this January. As the clock struck midnight to ring in the new year, sights were set on the huge ambitions the team have set for themselves in 2024. Training began on January 1st.

This road to T20I World Cup qualification began in Zimbabwe, with our team heading over in both an ODI series and a T20I series against a tough opponent in weather conditions akin to that of the United Arab Emirates, where the World Cup qualifiers will be held in May.

This series was absolutely jam-packed with reasons to get excited for the upcoming year of Cricket. We’ve outlined some of these reasons below, just in case you missed any of January and February’s action! Women’s Cricket is absolutely thriving in Ireland and not a second of this team’s action is to be missed.

1. Clean Sweep of Victories

Throughout both the ODI and the T20I series, Ireland didn’t suffer one defeat! Day 2 of the ODI series saw the teams tie their game in a day filled with weather interferences, but every other game was won by Ireland. Sometimes comfortably and sometimes through grit and determination. Both of these sides of the team will need to be on full display in such an important calendar year.

2. Digging Deep

It’s wonderful to see the days where everything comes together and the team sail to victory, but the true indicator that we’re a force to be reckoned with is the hard-fought victories that the team ground out in Zimbabwe. This Ireland team have a determination that any sport rarely sees, and the ability to reach that extra gear was on full display in this series.

From carving out a draw in Day 2 of the ODI series on a day that continuously interrupted the team’s rhythm due to weather, to winning by scoring a 6 on the second-last ball of T20I Day 4 and taking 6-7 in just 17 balls on Day 5 to turn the tides on a tough game, the team showed that they’re capable of digging into everything in their reserves to do whatever it takes to win. What’s even more impressive is that the series had already been wrapped up before days 4 and 5, so when World Cup qualification is on the line, we can expect to see every ounce of will being used to get this team of warriors over the line.

3. There’s no Star of the Show. This Team is a Constellation!

At no stage can opposition teams strategise against our one big-hitter, because this team is oozing talent from all angles, and our star player changes on a per-game basis. Just in this series alone we had game-winning performances from:

Gaby Lewis, who scored two half-centuries and boasted a 158.53 strike rate by the end of the series.
Cara Murray, who became the first Ireland Women’s Cricketer to take 6 wickets in a one-day International.

Laura Delany, who scored a half-century and became the first woman in Irish Cricket to receive her 100th T20 International cap.

Louise Little, who achieved her career-best T20I bowling figures in Day 3 of the T20I series, claiming back-to-back wickets to score 2-8.

Orla Prendergast, who dominated the T20I series with a half-century on Day 3, scoring a 6 to win the match on the second-last ball of Day 4, and claiming the Player of the Match Award on Days 4 and 5.

Amy Hunter, who scored her second career century in the same place as her first (Harare Sports Club), scoring 101 off of just 66 balls. She also scored 77 on her 50th International appearance. These performances, among her countless others in recent months, caught global attention, which is why she gets her own section below!

4. Hunter by Name, Hunter by Nature

If there’s a record to be made or a wicket to be taken, Amy Hunter will go after it. Since becoming the youngest player (man or woman) to score an international century at the age of 16 in 2021, Hunter has continued to grow from strength to strength.

Since the retirement of Mary Waldron, Amy has assumed the position of first-choice wicketkeeper for the senior side. Despite the growing expectations on her as she continues to perform at a world-class standard, she has taken it all in her stride and continued to grow and excel.

During the recent series in Zimbabwe, Hunter rose to #18 in the ICC Player Rankings, making her the 18th best player in the world of women’s T20I Cricket currently. Not only that, but she was also named the Women’s Player of the Month by the ICC in January. This is no big surprise when you see her 144.73 for this month.

Amy Hunter is an exceptional talent and the poster-girl of the unbelievable talent coming through the nation from a grassroots level all the way up to the International team. Our future is bright, which leads us to our next point.

5. We’re Going Nowhere But Up

With a very young average age, this Ireland team can expect to retain so many of their star players for the next decade plus, giving them a huge opportunity to build a special chemistry for years to come. The injection of youth that the team has seen in recent years is a testament to the amazing work being done by the nation’s clubs to produce such talent from childhood all the way up to senior level.

To name but a few of the team’s star players; Lewis, Prendergast, Hunter, Little and Canning are all 22 or younger and are already such established players. Not only that, but we’re constantly seeing more young players break through, such as Joanna Loughran, who made her International debut in Day 5 of the recent series in Zimbabwe.

Irish cricket has never been healthier, and with the team’s recent transition to professional status, we’re likely to see even more youth players give it their all to receive the honour of having an International cap with Ireland.

In conclusion, this should be a huge year for Women’s International Cricket, and there’s every reason to believe that it could be the team’s most successful to-date. What we can be certain of is that we are blessed to have such talent represent the country, and we’re sure to see this team skyrocket to stardom over the next few years.

The world is about to take notice, and this bandwagon is about to get very full.