“In the future, we should be expected to beat teams like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on a regular basis” – Graeme West
Ireland will begin their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Scotland in Manchester on June 13. The side heads into the mega event with plenty of confidence after a string of encouraging performances. They defeated West Indies and Pakistan in the recent home tri-series, pushed South Africa close despite ending up on the losing side, and then beat Bangladesh in one of their two warm-up matches.
Ahead of their tournament opener, Cricket Ireland High Performance Director Graeme West spoke exclusively to RevSportz about expectations from the team, the current structure of women’s cricket in Ireland and the importance of playing top-ranked nations regularly.
West expects the side to continue building on the progress reflected in their recent performances and results.
“Sort of the expectation is that they continue to show that growth, and it has been reflected in those results over the last couple of weeks, which is really good to see. We’ve obviously got two or three players who have established themselves in international cricket. They’ve had opportunities, whether it be Gaby Lewis, Orla Prendergast or Amy Hunter, to a smaller degree.”
“That exposure to franchise cricket and county cricket has obviously benefited those players. It’s very much now about the next group of players establishing themselves and aiming to get to the same level as the players I’ve mentioned. So that, when it comes to crunch situations, we have more players who are able to contribute and produce those match-winning performances.
“For instance, in T20 cricket, it could be a quickfire 20-25 off 10 balls. It could be a couple of overs that are very economical, or picking up a couple of wickets. But I think in terms of the trajectory of the team, it’s very much now down to that team effort to elevate us and be consistent in our performances, particularly against those teams ranked just above us.
“The Pakistans, the Bangladeshis, the Sri Lankans – they’re the teams that, when you talk about expectations, we should be getting to a point where we are expecting to beat those sides on a more regular basis. I think that would be the measure of the team’s progress. But I think we’ve also got to be aware that the teams behind us are also getting stronger.
“We saw Scotland and the Netherlands, in particular, in the qualifier in Nepal, put in some fantastic performances. So, as much as we want to move up and compete with those teams above us, we’ve got to make sure that we’re also staying ahead of the teams that are on our tail.”
Speaking about the current cricketing structure in Ireland, West said there are several similarities between the men’s and women’s setups.
“It’s pretty similar in terms of the men’s and women’s sides in that we have around 25 contracted players in both. Our women’s team and player pool are very young. Most of those players are under 25. A number of them are still in education, so they have educational contracts that allow them to continue their studies while also training and practising regularly. And, obviously, when the time comes to travel, they’re able to do that with the blessing of their universities, colleges and schools.
“But again, it highlights the challenges that we have when you travel on tour with probably half a team of players who have to keep up with their studies while preparing to play international cricket.”
When asked whether playing more matches against top-ranked teams would help the women’s side improve further, West pointed to Ireland’s involvement in the Women’s Championship as a major positive.
“Well, we’re part of the Women’s Championship, which means we’re in the group that provides us with the opportunity to play the best sides in the world on a regular basis.
“We went to South Africa in December. We play in England later in the summer. We host West Indies. If you think back to the last T20 World Cup, those sides did particularly well, and England are always a force to be reckoned with. So we feel as though we are certainly in a good position now and are getting those fixtures on a more regular basis, which creates that challenge.
“But it also allows us to benchmark exactly how much progress we have made and what we still need to make up in order to really push forward. We’re very pleased with the fixtures we have access to. I think it’s pretty much mapped out through to 2029 now. The likes of Australia, India and New Zealand will come to Ireland next year. So it’s very much now for those players to stand up and keep progressing.”
Transcribed by: Snehasis Mukherjee
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