Ireland’s Young Cricket Squad Boosts with Allrounder Alice Tector’s T20I Call-up
Gaby Lewis to Lead Ireland in White-ball Series Against England
Ireland’s young cricket squad gets a boost as allrounder Alice Tector earns her maiden T20I call-up, while regular captain Laura Delany continues to miss out due to injury.
On 31st August 2024, ESPNcricinfo reported that Gaby Lewis has recovered from a quad strain she sustained earlier this month and will lead Ireland’s white-ball series against England at home. However, the experienced captain Laura Delany is yet to recover from the ankle ligament injury she picked up during the second T20I against Sri Lanka.
In a positive development, the selectors have included Alice Tector, who made her ODI debut against Sri Lanka, in the T20I squad. Alice is the sister of Ireland men’s batter Harry Tector, making it a proud moment for the family. Additionally, Una Raymond-Hoey, who sustained an injury in the first T20I against Sri Lanka, has returned to both the white-ball squads.
“National selector Ciara O’Brien expressed disappointment over Delany’s prolonged absence, stating that her experience and leadership will be missed. However, the selectors are confident in Gaby Lewis’ ability to captain the team, as she has led the side in Delany’s absence before.”
This is a young Irish squad, with an average age of less than 22 years, and the selectors are hopeful that the team will receive strong support from the fans during the upcoming series against England.
Lewis, Ireland’s leading run-scorer in T20Is and the second-most experienced player behind Delany, scored her maiden T20I century in the second match against Sri Lanka. She led the team to their first-ever ODI win over Sri Lanka, which also saw Ireland earn their first points in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25.
The 14-player squads feature 12 common players across both the ODI and T20I formats, with Alana Dalzell and Joanna Loughran included only in the ODI squad, while Ava Canning and Christina Coulter Reilly feature only in the T20I squad.
Ireland and England will play a three-match ODI series, which is part of the Women’s Championship, in Belfast, followed by a three-match T20I series in Dublin.
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