Ireland women were over the moon as they registered their maiden T20I win over England women on Sunday, September 15 at Castle Avenue, Dublin.
Orla Prendergast starred with the bat for the hosts with her marvellous knock of 80 (51) and helped their team chase down 170 on the penultimate ball of their innings to win the match by five wickets.
As a result, Ireland were successful in drawing the two-match series 1-1 after a 67-run loss in the first match. Following their historic triumph, Ireland were seen ecstatically celebrating their achievement as players were seen jumping with joy in the dressing room. A few were also seen celebrating with their family members near the boundary as the entire stadium rejoiced on the joyous occasion.
Coming back to the match, after being put in to bat first, England posted a good score of 169/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Openers Bryony Smith and Tammy Beaumont got them off to a good start adding 44 runs for the first wicket off 38 balls. However, Arlene Kelly broke their stand accounting for both the openers.
Orla Prendergast’s all-round show sets up historic win
Beaumont departed after a well-made 40 (34) with the help of seven fours. Apart from her, Paige Scholfield (34 off 21) also played a remarkable knock as the duo added 59 runs for the third wicket off 32 balls. Georgia Adams (23 off 15) also made a valuable contribution to take her team to 169. Orla Prendergast (2/31), Arlene Kelly (2/22) and Aimee Maguire (2/32) took two wickets each for Ireland.
In the second innings, Ireland lost Amy Hunter (1 off 3) in the first over itself. After the early blow, captain Gaby Lewis (38 off 35) stabilized the innings with Prendergast adding 79 runs for the second wicket off 63 balls.
Prendergast continued to build on her innings and took her team on the verge of a historic win. Leah Paul (27 off 27) and Coulter Reilly (2* off 1) saw their team home in the last over and scripted a famous win. Following their historic triumph, Prendergast was adjudged Player of the Match for her all round show and also Player of the Series for scoring 132 runs and picking two wickets in two matches.