The Ireland Women’s cricket team is in Bangladesh for a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series. The ODI series kicks off tomorrow at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, followed by the T20Is in Sylhet. Known for being spin-friendly, the Mirpur wicket poses a unique challenge, and the Irish team is leaving no stone unturned to prepare for it.

Irish skipper Gaby Lewis has emphasized the importance of adapting to the conditions and believes spin will play a decisive role in the series. Speaking at a pre-match press conference, she expressed confidence in her team’s readiness to tackle the hosts’ spin attack and leverage their own spinning prowess.

Gaby Lewis highlighted her team’s focus on playing spin, given the conditions they anticipate in Mirpur. “I think it's just about adapting. We obviously don't know how the pitch is going to play, but we predict a good bit of spin and judging by their team, they like to play a spin heavy XI. So that's something that we focused on and we've been working really hard on our spin game. And yeah, we're ready for tomorrow,” Lewis said.

The Irish captain remains optimistic about challenging Bangladesh, acknowledging the growth of both teams in recent years. “I think over the years maybe Bangladesh has had maybe slightly went up on us. But I think this summer we've really showed how far we have come and especially in terms of how we play spin. I think against Sri Lanka who were quite spin heavy. We we did really well in that series. So we've a lot of confidence to take from this summer and we're ready to ready for the fight tomorrow,” she added.

Lewis shared insights on Ireland’s preparation, pointing out that her team has studied Bangladesh’s squad closely to craft a strategic approach.

“We obviously did a lot of analysis on their team, and we know through internet their eleven and the squad. We kind of followed a bit but just, you know, preparing as best as we can for what we think we'll be faced with tomorrow,” said Lewis.

The Irish skipper also highlighted the benefits of having a young team, particularly in their spin department. “Depends on where you're looking at. I think it's something that, you know, it's been a benefit to our team. Our young spin group has done very well so and we're always going to be a young team, I think for, you know, with the player pool that we have in Ireland. But you know, that's a benefit as well. I think getting them in early and kind of you know, then witnessing this professionalism and play the top nations will only be of benefit to them in the future.”

While most of the Irish squad is new to Bangladeshi conditions, Lewis believes experienced players like Laura Delany will play a crucial role in guiding the team.

“I've never played in Bangladesh. I think only Laura Delany has played in Bangladesh, so she brings a lot of experience to the group and we played away in Pakistan and had various much or had a lot of success there in the T20 format. So we're looking to, you know, really attack the ODI series, obviously with the championship points on offer, but we you know, over the last year we've really improved our ODI Cricket,” Lewis said.

The captain concluded by underlining the importance of adaptability and staying focused. “I think it's just about adapting to the conditions that we face tomorrow. We've trained in the nets and we've been been training really well out here, but you never know a pitch can be out in the middle. So I think it's just about being focused and clinical. And when we get out there tomorrow, whether we're building your batting first, but you know, the team are ready and we're willing to go.”

The first ODI of the series will begin at 10:00 AM Bangladesh time on November 27 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.