Laura Delany to lead as Ireland announce Women's T20 World Cup squad

The tournament represents Ireland Women's return to World Cup involvement after last appearing in the 2018 Women's T20 World Cup.

The 2023 edition will be held from February 10-26 2023, with Ireland's blockbuster first game against England, set for February 13.

The tournament will feature two Groups of five teams each in the first round playing a round-robin format, with the top two sides from each Group progressing to the semi-finals stage. Ireland's Group features England, India, Pakistan and West Indies.

The squad will depart from Dublin on January 27 and undertake a preparation camp in Cape Town from 28 January to 2 February during which they will play two warm-up matches against Bangladesh.

Ireland will then move on to Stellenbosch to play two official warm-up games against Sri Lanka and Australia, before their first competitive match on February 13.

"It was incredibly rewarding and encouraging to see our squad progress so far both on and off the field in 2022, recording a number of breakthrough results as a team and as individuals. While there were numerous highlights, the most gratifying of all was the successful T20 World Cup qualifying campaign. We haven't featured in a global tournament since 2018. While we came heartbreakingly close at the 2019 qualifier, we ultimately fell short, so this year's qualification felt like redemption and reward for the hard work the players, coaches and support staff have put in," said Carrie Archer, the National Selector as read in a statement released by Ireland Cricket.

For the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2023, Laura Delany will be in charge of a team with an average age of 24. Ireland will be participating in the Women's T20 World Cup for the first time since 2018, having failed to qualify for the competition in 2020.

Ireland had a fantastic year in 2022 under the guidance of former Ireland and England international Ed Joyce, winning eight T20 Internationals, which is a joint-high for them in a single year in women's cricket.

"The squad's average age is only 24, with most players aged between 17 and 23. This age profile is an exciting aspect for Irish cricket as this group will hopefully be together for a good few years to come, and will only get better over time. Laura [Delany] - already Ireland's longest-serving captain - will lead the side again, while we welcome Georgina Dempsey back into the squad after she missed the recent Pakistan tour due to educational commitments," added Archer.

Squad: Laura Delany (captain), Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Arlene Kelly, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell and Mary Waldron. (ANI)