By Priscilla Jepchumba

A large number of England’s T20 World Cup squad has been rested for their upcoming tour of Ireland. The team will fly to Abu Dhabi for a training camp in preparation for the World Cup. With the regular squad resting, Kate Cross will lead the team throughout the tour, which includes three ODIs at Stormont and three T20Is at Castle Avenue in Dublin.

Cross expressed her excitement about the captaincy, stating that captaining your country is a dream come true. She mentioned that although she hadn’t actively aspired to captain at the international level, she sees this as a unique opportunity and is looking forward to it.

“Obviously it’s not their World Cup squad, but there’s also a lot of caps and very experienced players in there as well. We’ve done our analysis, we know the girls, and a lot of the girls have watched the Hundred and know what we’re coming up against. Jay Shelat, our analyst, does endless work on that side of things… we feel very prepared going into tomorrow,” said Cross.

While the primary focus is on winning, especially in the ODIs, which are part of the ICC Women’s Championship, the tour will also provide fringe players with the opportunity to stake their claim for more regular international involvement. The tour presents an opportunity for new players to make their mark and for others to show their skills once again.

Ireland does not underestimate England’s second-string team and anticipates that they will pose a challenge despite the absent players. Gaby Lewis, acting as captain in place of the injured Laura Delany, stated that her team is ready for the upcoming series following a successful series against Sri Lanka.

“All we can do is prepare to our best, no matter what team they put out,” said Lewis. “That’s on them, that’s not on us: if we beat England tomorrow, we beat England tomorrow, no matter what team we play against… We still prepare the same way, and we’re still playing against England at the end of the day.

Lewis mentioned that the players from Ireland will keep engaging with their fans as frequently as they can.