One historic win but plenty to improve: Ireland’s Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 review

Ireland’s performance in the recently concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 did not reflect the improvements they had shown heading into the mega event. They were placed in Group B alongside England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Scotland, and eventually finished at the bottom of the table with just two points (five matches, one win, four losses, net run rate of -0.875).

However, heading into the tournament, they had secured confidence-boosting victories over West Indies and Pakistan in a tri-series at home. So, when they faced Scotland in their tournament opener, it seemed they would make a winning start to the competition. Instead, it turned out to be the exact opposite.

How the campaign unfolded:

Scotland batted first in Ireland’s opening game and posted 161/5. In reply, Ireland’s batters were bamboozled by Scotland’s spinners and were bowled out for just 121 in Manchester.

In their next game, the batting again failed to deliver as Ireland managed only 118/9 against England in Southampton. However, there was an improvement with the ball as they picked up six England wickets before the hosts chased down the target with 2.3 overs to spare.

Their next match was against the then-defending champions, New Zealand, in Southampton. The bowlers carried forward the momentum from the previous game by restricting the White Ferns to 140/6. While chasing, captain Gaby Lewis (58 off 53) and all-rounder Orla Prendergast (59 off 53) stitched together a brilliant 110-run partnership for the second wicket. But once they were dismissed, the remaining batters could not finish the job, as Ireland fell just four runs short.

However, in their fourth game of the competition, they were completely outplayed by Sri Lanka in Bristol. After posting only 130/5, Ireland managed just one wicket and, courtesy of a magnificent unbeaten century from captain Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lanka sealed a nine-wicket win with 4.3 overs to spare.

Then, in their final group-stage match in Bristol, when it seemed Ireland would finish the campaign without a single win, they created history. By defeating West Indies by six wickets, they registered their first-ever victory in the history of the Women’s T20 World Cup.

That performance once again showed that they had the potential and ability to compete. However, inexperience and the inability of several players to handle pressure situations proved costly throughout the tournament.

Positives:

The biggest positive for Ireland was all-rounder Orla Prendergast. She finished as both their highest run-scorer and leading wicket-taker, scoring 181 runs in five innings at an average of 36.20 and a strike rate of 125.69, including two fifties, while also picking up six wickets at an economy rate of 6.10.

According to the latest ICC rankings, she is currently the world’s joint third-ranked WT20I all-rounder, ahead of several established names, including India’s Deepti Sharma, Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner and South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp.

However, no team can achieve consistent success based solely on the performances of one player. Whether with the bat or the ball, the other experienced players need to become more consistent so that players like Orla receive better support, especially in high-pressure tournaments such as a World Cup.

Areas to improve:

For Ireland, the primary aim should be to play more matches, particularly against relatively higher-ranked teams such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and West Indies. The more they play against these sides, whether in bilateral series or tri-series, the more experience they will gain in handling pressure situations and learning how to perform consistently under challenging circumstances.

For example, from July 10 onwards, Ireland are set to host West Indies in a three-match ODI series before touring England for a three-match ODI series in September. More fixtures like these will help them identify the gaps in skill levels and understand what improvements are required to eventually compete consistently at the highest level.

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