Bristol, June 24: Despite suffering a heavy nine-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the Women’s T20 World Cup, Ireland’s captain Gaby Lewis remains optimistic about her team’s progress. She believes that playing against strong opponents will motivate the team to improve.
In the match held at County Ground, Ireland managed to score 130 runs after losing five wickets, while Sri Lanka chased down the target in just 15.3 overs.
Discussing her team’s innings, Lewis emphasized the importance of stabilizing the score after a shaky start of 30/3 during the powerplay. The innings faced a setback when Amy Hunter was run out for a duck on the fourth ball, followed by quick dismissals of Orla Prendergast and Rebecca Stokell. However, Lewis and her partner Paul steadied the ship, adding 66 runs for the fourth wicket off 59 balls, which helped Ireland set a competitive score.
Post-match, Lewis stated, “Yes, it was definitely tough. You just have to rebuild the innings. I and Paul did that well. The main thing for us was to build a partnership, and we focused on that.”
Despite the early setbacks, Lewis insisted that the team did not want their batters to play too cautiously. She remarked, “We still want the girls to come out and play freely. We didn’t want them to hold back, as no one wants that. We still need to put up a score to win. I am confident the girls will learn and come back stronger.”
The captain also acknowledged the increasing standards in international women’s cricket, noting that the gap between her team and the top teams in the world is not as wide as some may think. “Certainly, the level has risen, but it also increases your hunger as a cricketer. After every World Cup, you reflect on how close we were to winning. We were so close to beating New Zealand and played well in parts. It’s all about getting everything right. That’s what drives you to improve,” she stated.
Lewis scored 59 runs in the match, marking her second consecutive half-century in the tournament. However, she admitted that the match result overshadowed her personal achievement. She praised Sri Lankan captain Athapaththu for her century, which dashed Ireland’s hopes of defending their total.
“She is a world-class player. She is definitely someone you need to get out; otherwise, what happened today could happen again. It was a fantastic innings, and she did exactly what her team needed,” Lewis said.
Ireland has lost all four of their initial matches and is already out of the title race. Despite another loss, Lewis is confident that Ireland can end their campaign on a positive note. The team will face the West Indies in their final group-stage match on Saturday.
She concluded, “One win. We beat them in the tri-series. The belief is still there within the team. It’s about going back, correcting our mistakes, and understanding where we went wrong today. The pitch and conditions will be the same, so hopefully, we can have good discussions to turn things around for Saturday.”
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