Sport

Ireland begin World Cup qualifier with Netherlands clash

10-team group stage plus Super Six to determine World Cup and Championship spots

Ireland return to Harare in November for the World Cup Qualifier. Photograph: Zimbabwe Cricket

Nathan Johns
Tue Nov 2 2021 - 10:58

Ireland will get their Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign underway with a clash against the Netherlands on November 21st.

The schedule for the 10 team qualifying tournament - to be played in Harare, Zimbabwe - has been announced, with Ireland drawn in a Group A alongside the Dutch, Papua New Guinea, West Indies and Sri Lanka. Five other teams make up Group B: Pakistan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and the USA.

The top three sides from each group progress to the Super Six stage, where the best three from that round will qualify for the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand. In addition, the three qualifiers plus the next two best finishers will compete in the next cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship, a multiyear tournament that determines automatic qualification for World Cups.

Ireland’s recent record in Zimbabwe is good having won a series against the host country 3-1 last month, the highlight of that tour being Amy Hunter’s record breaking century.

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Success has also come this year against Ireland’s opening opponents, the Netherlands. A 3-1 T20 series victory came in Dublin in July, while a one-off 24-run win was secured during August’s T20 World Cup qualifier.

The West Indies are ranked sixth in the world at present and will be clear favourites in Group A. Sri Lanka are one spot higher than Ireland in ninth. With Netherlands and Papua New Guinea not in the top 10, Ireland will be fancied to at least progress to the Super Six stage.

Amy Hunter