Gaby Lewis excited for Women’s T20 World Cup in England

Ireland captain Gaby Lewis said playing the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in nearby England will be special for the team and its supporters. She praised Ireland's preparation, highlighted emerging talent in the squad and welcomed increased investment in women's cricket.

Hyderabad: Ireland captain Gaby Lewis said that the fact that the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was being held in England this year was a really exciting prospect, and having the competition so close to home was going to be really special. She added that it would be great to see as many fans as possible at all of the matches.

“Often, when you play at World Cups, they are further afield and it’s the hosts or the opposition that brings the fans to the stadiums. So, on this occasion, it will be nice to have a lot of Irish people travelling and a lot of young kids and girls supporting us, who I hope have ambitions to one day play for the team,” Gaby Lewis told ICC Media.

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“Our preparation has been great. Our tri-series against Pakistan and the West Indies here at home was fantastic preparation for the girls. There has obviously been a change in the squad, with Laura Delany going to be a big miss, but it is excellent that we have been able to bring in someone like Alice Tector,” she said.

“There are a lot of players to look out for in our squad, and we’ve got some great youngsters. Aimee Maguire has been brilliant for us over the last couple of years, and you can’t overlook the likes of Orla Prendergast and Amy Hunter as well. We don’t rely on one or two players, though; we’ve got a real group of match-winners. There’ll be a lot of players putting their hands up in this World Cup and winning games,” Gaby Lewis said.

“It’s been great to see the way the group has grown over the last few years. Our average age is quite young, but I think every year that gets said, it’s actually getting higher and higher. The more experienced the girls get, the better they become at international cricket. We don’t have a major provincial setup that they come through, so they’re learning a lot at the international level. The more games they play, the more they learn. They’ve come a long way in the last two years, and hopefully we can build on the last World Cup,” the Ireland captain said.

“My favourite thing about playing in a World Cup is getting the opportunity to play against top nations in a short period of time. There are huge eyes on the tournament as well, and that is great. If you can turn over a few teams, you’re in the spotlight,” Gaby Lewis said.

“The increased prize money for the tournament is great too. The more investment in the women’s game, the better. It’s striving to be as close to the men’s game as possible, and it’s great to see these financial increases. But most importantly, our focus is on winning games of cricket,” she said.