The value of playing England is rarely found in comfort.
For Ireland Women, next month’s three-match ODI series is another examination of the distance between ambition and execution. It is also part of the ICC Women’s Championship, which gives the fixtures a harder edge than a standard bilateral tour.
Cricket Ireland has named a 14-player squad for the trip, with Gaby Lewis set to captain the side. Ireland will play a warm-up match against an ECB Development XI in Leicester on August 29 before facing England in three ODIs on September 1, 3 and 6.
The squad is Gaby Lewis, Christina Coulter Reilly, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Louise Little, Jane Maguire, Lara McBride, Kia McCartney, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca Stokell and Alice Tector.
Arlene Kelly returns from injury, while Alice Tector is also back in the squad. Kia McCartney retains her place as a spin option. Aimee Maguire, Sarah Forbes and Ava Canning miss out through injury.
Recently appointed Ireland National Women’s Selector Lauren Rowles pointed to the pressure now building within the 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,” Rowles said.
Ireland’s women’s cricket programme has spent years trying to broaden its base while giving players enough matches of genuine consequence to accelerate development. The ICC Women’s Championship is designed to provide that: regular fixtures against stronger sides, with qualifying implications and little room to hide.
Rowles said last month’s series against the West Indies, though difficult in results, had sharpened the desire within the group to compete at that level.
England will ask different questions. Ireland will take a squad with returning players, emerging options and a captain still central to almost everything they are trying to become.
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)
