Preview by Mohammad Anab
Ireland Women and Scotland Women will make history when they meet in their opening match of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday.
This will be the first-ever encounter between the two nations at the multi-nation event. Also, after this game, one side will register their maiden victory at the tournament as both Ireland and Scotland have never won a single game yet in the Women's T20 World Cup.
Both sides arrive in England with plenty of confidence after impressive qualification campaigns earlier this year. For Ireland, the tournament represents another opportunity to establish themselves among the leading emerging nations in women's cricket, while Scotland will be eager to make a strong impression in what is a landmark appearance on the global stage.
Ahead of this WC, Ireland played a home tri-series against West Indies and Pakistan last month. The side displayed a spirited performance but lost to West Indies by a whisker in the points table. After that, Ireland played a couple of warm-up games. The side lost against Proteas by 16 runs but won against Bangladesh by 11 runs.
Ireland's hopes are likely to revolve around captain Gaby Lewis, who is making a comeback after recovering from a leg injury. Alongside her, keeper-batter Amy Hunter and Orla Prendergast provide experience and stability at the top of the order, while the all-round abilities of Leah Paul and others give Ireland valuable balance.
The side will miss the services of former skipper Laura Delany, who is injured, and she will be replaced by the teenage all-rounder Alice Tector. Seamer Jane Maguire has been dropped because of an injury and she will be replaced by her sister and spinner Aimee Maguire. The Irish bowling will be heavily dependent on Maguire, Ava Canning, Arlene Kelly and Cara Murray.
Scotland, meanwhile, boast a squad led by the inspirational Kathryn Bryce, who has been instrumental in the team's rise in recent years. Supported by keeper-batter Sarah Bryce, and all-rounders such as Katherine Fraser and Darcey Carter, Scotland possess a well-rounded squad capable of challenging higher-ranked opposition.
Like Ireland, Scotland also played a home tri-series against Netherlands and Bangladesh. In a historic performance, Scotland won the tri-series by finishing at the top of the points table. The side also played two warm-up games and won both of them. One of their warm-up win came against Pakistan.
Spinner Kirstie Gordon is making a comeback into the WC squad after she switched her allegiance from England to Scotland. Meanwhile, Scotland have to deal with a big blow as leggie Abtaha Maqsood has been dropped from the squad due to an injury on the eve of the side's first game. She has been replaced by Yorkshire seamer Hannah Rainey.
In the 2024 edition, Scotland featured in their first women's T20 WC and they got knocked out in the group stage itself after losing all four of their games. Meanwhile, Ireland missed out on the qualification for the last edition of the WC. However, the Irish side featured in the 2023 edition and were knocked out in the group stage.
With defending champions New Zealand, England, West Indies and other heavyweights dominating much of the attention in Group B, Saturday's clash offers Ireland and Scotland a valuable opportunity to make an early statement.
Who will win this clash? Join us at 2 PM IST (9:30 AM Local Time) on Saturday for the live coverage.