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Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament, Bangladesh

November 14th - 26th

On the eve of their departure from Dublin to Dhaka via Abu Dhabi on the 10 th  November, the Irish Women's squad for the World  Cup Qualifier Tournament in Bangladesh assembled in the Croke Park Hotel to meet the media and be wished well on their way by sponsors RSA Insurance and governing body Cricket Ireland.

RSA Ireland Marketing Manager Pat Nally opened procedings and wished the squad every success in the challenges they would face.  CEO of Cricket Ireland, Warren Deutrom, gave substance to those challenges.  Ireland, currently ranked 9 in the world, must  finish in the top six in the qualifiers to maintain their ODI status; to qualify for the 2012 World Cup they must finish in the top four.

So they can finish no lower than third in their group, which contains West Indies and Pakistan, both ranked above them, hosts Bangladesh, and outsiders Japan.  The other qualifying group comprises South Africa, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Zimbabwe and the  USA.

There are fourteen players in the Ireland squad: Laura Cullen; Laura Delany; Kim Garth; Cecilia Joyce; Isobel Joyce (captain); Shauna Kavanagh; Amy Kenealy; Louise McCarthy; Eimear Richardson; Melissa Scott-Hayward; Clare Shillington; Elena Tice; Mary  Waldron; Jill Whelan.  The recently appointed coach is Jeremy Bray, assisted by national treasure Trent Johnston.  Sandra Dawson is team manager.

The Joyce twins, Jill Whelan and Clare Shillington provide a very experienced core to the team.  Most of the others have been around for a couple or three years now, but there is huge interest in the youngest members, Kim Garth (15) and Elena Tice (14).   Special permission had to be granted by the ICC to play these two.  I can reveal that Kim very nearly won the award of Young Player of the Year from the Irish Cricket Writers, and I must confess that the only reason I didn't vote for her was that I didn't  know I could!  Sorry, Diggers.

Besides nets and fielding practice, the squad has been working very hard over the past few weeks on its physical fitness: Bangladesh is still very hot and humid in November, even though the main monsoon rains have retreated south into the Bay of Bengal.   Arriving a day early on the 11 th  will give the players a greater opportunity to acclimatize.

On the 14 th  Ireland play top seeds West Indies, a game they are not expected to win.  On the 15 th  they play Pakistan, and I see this as the key fixture: Pakistan are ranked 8, so should be beatable.  I watched  them two summers ago in Dublin in a T20 tournament, and I was very impressed by the depth of their team – unlike in earlier times, there were no passengers.  But Ireland too are stronger and deeper than two years ago, and I think Ireland must win  this match.

On the 17 th , Ireland play Japan, and nothing other than a win can be contemplated.  The following day the team faces the hosts, and while they are seeded to win this match, home advantage could tilt the result to Bangladesh.  A  win would put Ireland second, and in a play-off on the 22 nd  with the third-placed team from the other group, likely to be The Netherlands.  Ireland should win that and qualify for the 2012 World Cup.

That's the best-case scenario.  Should Ireland finish third in their group they will face the second-placed nation from the other group, probably Sri Lanka.  Again, a win will send them to India in 2012.  A loss in either of the 2 nd  /3 rd  matches of the 22 nd  sees them into a repechage for 5, 6, 7 and 8 on the 24 th  and the 26 th , and their ODI status in the balance.

This is a very tough task for a very talented squad.  The word on the ground is that the squad are responding very well to the high demands made by coach Jeremy Bray and his assistant Trent Johnston.  They're two guys I'd have with me in the trenches  every time.  Is there any way Cricket Ireland can get John Boy out to Dhaka?  Who needs the 7 th  Cavalry when you've got those three?