Ireland, Scotland Women to play series in Spain

Ireland and Scotland’s women’s teams will return to action next month when they meet for a five‑match series in Spain. The series will be two 50 Over matches and three T20Is between November 20^th and November 29^th. The Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Oval at La Manga in Spain will host all the matches.

Both sides announced their squads on Thursday morning. The Ireland squad sees first senior call ups for 4 players, Zara Craig, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter and Jane Maguire. Several senior players including wicketkeeper Mary Waldron are unavailable, instead playing club cricket in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Scotland squad is led by sisters Kathryn and Sarah Byrce, who are captain and vice-captain respectively. Both have recently been in action in England in the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy, where Sarah Bryce ended second on the overall run charts with 395 runs in 6 matches.

Neither side has had any competitive fixtures since August 2019 when they contested the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Scotland. In that tournament, Ireland finished third whilst the hosts finished fifth, both missing out on the final tournament.

Ireland were previously due to contest the 50 Over World Cup Qualifier in June in Sri Lanka, as well as a quadrangular series in Thailand. However, both were postponed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Whilst Ireland completed their domestic competition over the summer, Scotland’s regional series had only two matches due to rising COIVD-19 cases. A Scotland ‘A’ squad was able to complete matches against Yorkshire. Both sides will be particularly keen for match practice, ahead of next year where both sides are expected in the European Regional Qualifiers for the 2022 T20 World Cup. Ireland will also contest the rescheduled 50 Over World Cup Qualifier.

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