You kinda have to feel sorry for the Irish here because they were entirely outmatched, but there were actually a few positives in their game.
- Clare Shillington and Kim Garth both batted well. Also, Shauna Kavanagh came in late and seemed to hit quite cleanly.
- Gaby Lewis looked very composed at the crease; had it not been for the attention-seeking lunacy from Umpire Rusere, she didn't look like getting out.
- Once she'd sorted out her line, Lucy O'Reilly bowled with lively pace and good rhythm.
- Kim Garth also bowled well as always.
There are also a few more players in the squad who can contribute: Celeste Raack is a leggie with BBL experience, while Amy Kenealy and Lara Maritz are non-terrible medium-pacers (admittedly, neither will turn a game on its head). It's a shame that Lena Tice is off playing international hockey now, but there's no point pining for someone who's been out of the setup for three years.
That said, the best XI would probably look more like:
- Clare Shillington
- Cecelia Joyce
- Gaby Lewis
- Kim Garth
- Eimear Richardson
Lena Tice Shauna Kavanagh
- Isobel Joyce
- Laura Delaney (c)
- Celeste Raack
- Mary Waldron (wk)
- Lucy O'Reilly
We'd still need to find four overs between Gaby Lewis, Isobel Joyce and Laura Delaney, but that's manageable.
It's still not a fantastic side, but our goal isn't to win the World Twenty20. Our goal is to beat Pakistan tomorrow. It'll be very difficult (they're a better side than us, and already ran India relatively close), but if we can get Raack, Garth and O'Reilly to bowl 12 good overs between them then we're in with a good chance. We did crush Sri Lanka in the warm-up, so it's not as if we're not capable.
If we win the Pakistan game we won't have to go through the Qualifiers for the next tournament. It is our World T20 final, essentially.