The Irish women completed a 3-0 record in the T20I series in Bangladesh, clinching the last game of the series in a last over thriller.
Their wins over Bangladesh in the three matches, by 12 runs, 47 runs and four wickets respectively, completed a superb turnaround after their 0-3 ODI series reset at the start of the tour. This morale-boosting series win in the subcontinent also came at the perfect time, with an ODI tour of India coming up in January 2025.
Allrounder Orla Prendergast, the Irish star with the ball in the series, finished with ten wickets that included two triples and a career high of 4 for 22 in the last game.
‘We showed how good we are in each of those three games,’ Prendergast said as she picked up her Player-of-the-Series award after Ireland’s exasperating run chase. ‘And what a final, that’s the best way to finish.
‘In every game we’ve played, several players have stood up and raised their hands. It’s a great place to be in our team, to have so many good players throughout our batting line-up and so many pitchers who came in and changed the game.’
Having sealed the series two nights earlier, Ireland needed a special performance from Laura Delany, their most experienced player and former captain, to complete the sweep. Needing to score 15 from the last over, Delany scored a hat-trick of four to finish the match with a spare ball. The 31-year-old said the youngsters were inspiring her.
‘Happy with how that last over went, but even more just happy for the team,’ Delany said. ‘We played some really good cricket in this T20I series and to end it with a win today shows everyone what we are capable of.
‘The youngsters inspire me. They are fearless, their aggressive nature. It’s something I try and strive to emulate with my game, but there is still a lot of work to be done there.’
For Ireland captain Gaby Lewis, who took over in October 2024, it was their success in foreign conditions that gave her the most joy.
‘We don’t come to these sub-continental conditions very often, so whenever we come out here, we just want to learn as much as we can and we’ve shown that in this series,’ she said. ‘We’ve improved and it’s great to see that.’
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