Laura Delany Returns to Ireland Squad for Bangladesh Tour

Laura Delany, who was succeeded as Ireland captain by Gaby Lewis last month, has been named in the Ireland squad for the upcoming six-match white-ball tour of Bangladesh. The tour is scheduled to take place from November 27 to December 9. The 31-year-old all-rounder sustained an ankle injury in August during the drawn T20 series against Sri Lanka. This injury prevented her from participating in the remaining home summer fixtures against both Sri Lanka and England. While opener Gaby Lewis assumed the captaincy from Delany last month, head coach Ed Joyce expressed his satisfaction with Delany’s rejoining of the team. “Welcoming back Laura Delany from injury will make a massive difference to that middle order,” he stated. He further elaborated on her value, saying, “Her experience and quality across both formats is key, but she also balances the team beautifully for us in terms of her being able to bowl so it gives us a chance to play an extra batter, if needed.” A single alteration has been made to the ODI squad for the T20 series, with Rebecca Stokell of Merrion replacing Alice Tector from Phoenix. Lewis will lead a squad whose average age is under 23 years, matching the age of the captain herself. Coach Joyce also commented on the team’s composition, stating, “We’ve picked three spinners as we feel going to that part of the world may potentially require playing all three of them,” adding, “And then on the batting side of things, I think we have a strong group that have shown they can get big scores in both formats.” Ireland’s recent performance includes securing a 2-1 victory over Sri Lanka in a one-day series, following a drawn T20 series. Subsequently, a month later, they achieved one win in a three-match ODI series against a young England side, which was followed by a 1-1 draw in the subsequent T20 series. The Irish team is set to compete against Bangladesh in one-day international matches in Mirpur on November 27, November 30, and December 2. The tour will then move to Sylhet for the T20 matches on December 5, December 7, and December 9. In the International Cricket Council’s rankings for white-ball formats, Bangladesh holds the eighth position in ODIs and ninth in T20s, while Ireland is ranked 11th in ODIs and 10th in T20s. The Ireland ODI squad comprises: Gaby Lewis (Phoenix, capt), Ava Canning (Leinster), Christina Coulter Reilly (Clontarf), Laura Delany (Leinster), Sarah Forbes (Pembroke), Amy Hunter (Instonians/Malahide), Arlene Kelly (Malahide), Aimee Maguire (The Hills), Jane Maguire (The Hills), Cara Murray (Waringstown/Clontarf), Leah Paul (Merrion), Orla Prendergast (Pembroke), Una Raymond-Hoey (Ringwood), Freya Sargent (Clontarf), Alice Tector (Phoenix). The T20 squad includes: Gaby Lewis, Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Laura Delany, Sarah Forbes, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Aimee Maguire, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Una Raymond-Hoey, Freya Sargent, Rebecca Stokell (Merrion).