Ireland is in the Super Six stage of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia after a wild ride that has taxed them.
Ireland needed a win against Pakistan, so they used the weather to their advantage when rain interrupted their game.
When the teams resumed play, Ireland won by 13 runs to move on to the next round and face their old rivals, South Africa.
Wicketkeeper Abbi Harrison stated, “We were all checking the weather pretty religiously the day before and the morning of the match as well. When we woke up, it was pretty sunny and we thought we were going to get a game.”
It was somewhat of a no-negotiable for us since we believe we have a really strong squad this year and we really wanted to make it to the Super Sixes.
“It just kept getting heavier when we got out and the innings started, and eventually everyone became pretty discouraged because it kept raining.”
“I believe that Niamh (MacNulty), Lara (McBride), and I were all on our hands and knees pleading for us to get back on the field when the vibes went down.”
We knew we wouldn’t go through if we didn’t get back on, so that was undoubtedly a low point.
“When we finally got back on, we were ecstatic, and we did a great job of channeling that.”
“I believe our performance showed that we were desperate to get through and that we deserved to get through.”
Ireland started their pursuit against England in their tournament opener long before the weather stopped both teams.
Then, as they got ready to play Pakistan, the USA won the World Cup for the first time ever, casting doubt on Ireland’s chances.
Ireland’s nine-over innings was led by Alice Walsh’s 31 as they set Pakistan a target of 70 to win.
Ellie McGee and the frugal Freya Sargent worked well together with the ball to give Ireland a dramatic and significant win.
The 18-year-old remarked, “It has been such a rollercoaster. We thought we performed super well in the first game against England.”
“We felt really confident after the first inning, but sometimes in a game like that you don’t get back out there. Nevertheless, we gained a lot of confidence from that game.”
“It wasn’t our best performance against the USA by any means, but we learned a lot and that game still had some nice aspects.
Because we were on for almost three overs before going off again, we were once again concerned that we wouldn’t get on against Pakistan.
We needed to win that game, so it was a little emotional, but as we got out there and some of the girls, like Alice (Walsh), performed really well, we felt more confident heading into the second innings.
“To first defeat a team like Pakistan and then advance to the Super Sixes was an incredible feeling.”
Almost immediately after the conclusion of the first edition, Ireland started preparing for the 2025 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
Since the majority of the team from two years ago is still in Malaysia, the group has developed strong bonds and a common culture.
When they play South Africa on Saturday, who defeated them 5-0 in a series last year, they will need to rely on it.
The confidence that we had a respectable score on the board and that we knew what our spin assault and field capabilities would be were always present in the back of our minds, Harrison continued.
We constantly strive to live in the present and claim that “one ball changes the game.” After the run-outs, Freya entered the game and altered the outcome.
We always believed in our bowling assault and in the field, so the atmosphere never truly soured on the field.
Sometimes it’s amazing to see because you realize that nobody ever quits up and that every ball is pursued until it dies. Being a part of it is fantastic.
“You never know what might occur. We have a lot of experience against South Africa, who are a fantastic team, and if we give it our all, we can defeat them in the upcoming round.
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