Cricket: Ireland name 5 uncapped players for SA series

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With eight of the top 20 players unavailable due to injuries, Ireland have named five uncapped players - Alana Dalzell, Sarah Forbes, Arlene Kelly, Jane Maguire and Kate McEvoy in their 14-player women's team squad for the limited overs series against South Africa, set to begin on June 3. The series, played at home, will include three One-day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals.

Ireland squad for SA ODIs and T20Is: Gaby Lewis (captain), Alana Dalzell, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Sarah Forbes, Shauna Kavanagh, Arlene Kelly, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Kate McEvoy, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Celeste Raack, Mary Waldron.

The 28-year-old New Zealand-born Kelly, who plays for Auckland Hearts in her home country, is an Irish passport-holder who recently relocated to Ireland to pursue cricket opportunities. She has featured for the Dragons in the early stages of the Arachas Super Series, claiming Player of the Match honours on debut after scoring 60 and taking 3-35 against the Typhoons at Lisburn.

Gaby Lewis has been announced as the captain of the squad in the absence of skipper Laura Delany, who is also recovering from an injury. Daughter of Alan Lewis, when the 21-year-old leads Ireland, they will become the first Irish father-daughter duo to captain the national cricket team.

On her appointment as captain for the series, Gaby said, "While it's unfortunate that we are without our skipper Laura Delany, it's an absolute honour to be asked to captain Ireland for the first time. The opportunity to take on one of the world's leading sides is one I am relishing, and I know the squad is looking forward to the challenge. One of the benefits of a competitive domestic Super Series is that - even with up to nine players missing - we are still able to bring in a talented group of players as cover, showing that we are growing our player pool and developing our emerging talent in the right way."

The three T20Is, scheduled for June 3, 6 and 8 is set to be played in Pembroke, the ODIs - on June 11, 14 and 17 - will be held in Clontarf. The three ODIs will be Ireland Women's first fixtures as part of the ICC Women's Championship.

Speaking on the squad selection, Carrie Archer, Chair of National Women's Selectors, said:

"Despite the introduction of contracts, we have a large portion of this year's performance squad in education and completing important exams at the time of this series. In addition, Eimear Richardson was unavailable for this series and a number of key players are rehabilitating from injuries, including Laura Delany, Rebecca Stokell, Orla Prendergast and Hannah Little. With the long-term in mind, particularly with the significant volume of international cricket ahead, we believe that it was more important to adhere to player's treatment plans than to try and rush them back.

"When selecting squads, the Selectors seek to maintain a balance between the immediate needs and priorities with long-term planning. We've selected a 14-player squad that features five players who will potentially make debuts. We are excited about the inclusion of these potential debutants, but at the same time acknowledge that there's a lot of years of experience missing.

"We will be facing one of the world's top-ranked teams, and this is our first outing in the ICC Championship. While the selectors had met a number of weeks ago to confirm the squad, the further injury to Orla Prendergast forced us to consider options that would maintain our competitiveness on the field. As such, despite only recently arriving in Ireland, we have included Arlene Kelly for this series. Arlene brings a wealth of experience and adds depth to the squad as an all-rounder. Her immediate impact upon the Arachas Super Series demonstrated her talent and as an Irish passport-holder she is available to declare for Ireland immediately.

"Despite the challenges, the squad will still feature a number of senior players who have a wealth of experience - Gaby Lewis, Shauna Kavanagh and Mary Waldron have 335 caps between them. We wish Gaby and her team the best for the challenge ahead and have no doubt under Ed Joyce's leadership they will have prepared meticulously."

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