Ireland, Bangladesh square off in Women’s T20 warm-up at Providence

By Clifton Ross

The Guyana National Stadium at Providence will open its gates today to accommodate the great influx of spectators expected to witness Bangladesh tackle Ireland in the first ICC Women’s World T20 warm-up, which bowls off from 16:00h.
Bangladesh have been the 10th and final team to qualify for the World Cup, but would need to get organised as they play the Irish, who arrived a few days prior to them and should be better acclimatised. Bangladesh is in the dangerous Group A with powerful teams such as the West Indies, England, and South Africa.
Upon their arrival on Friday, Bangladesh’s Rumana Ahmed said during the press conference that the team, led by28-year-old Salma Khatun, a veteran of 53 T20Is, were fixed on winning the World T20 championship.
Ireland, on the other hand, will be eyeing a reprise after finishing in the bottom of Group A during the 2016 Women’s World T20.
Having been involved in training camps in Spain, which have similar pitches to those of the Caribbean, The Irish ladies are determined themselves.
Laura Delany, the 25-year-old, will lead this side, which features a few young women as well as some veterans the likes of 37-year-old Clare Shillington, who made her international debut in 1997. Spinner Celeste Raack will also be a key player for the Irish.
Both team have been training at the Stadium, and will now look to take to the pitch a plethora of skills as they look to fine-tune their game ahead of the Cup which bowls off on November 9 at the Providence Stadium.