Dempsey, McBride and Tector return for Ireland women's ODI squad against England

Ireland Women have named a 14-member squad for a three-match ODI series against England, with Georgina Dempsey, Lara McBride and Alice Tector all earning recalls. Gaby Lewis continues as captain for a series that forms part of the new Women's Championship, which serves as the qualification pathway to the 2029 ODI World Cup.

All three returning players featured in the recent domestic Women's Super 50 Series. Dempsey and Tector are all-rounders, while McBride is an off-spinner. Tector has successfully recovered from an injury that had previously kept her out of contention. Arlene Kelly is also back in the squad after a fitness issue prevented her from featuring in the home series against West Indies in July, even though she had been named in that original selection.

Alana Dalzell, Sarah Forbes and Aimee Maguire, who were all involved when West Indies visited in July, have been ruled out of this tour through injury. Their absence has created the openings that allowed the returning quartet to come back into contention.

What does the schedule look like for the England series?

Ireland's preparations will begin with a warm-up fixture against the ECB Development XI at Leicester on August 29. The three ODIs follow on September 1 at Leicester, September 3 at Derby and September 6 at Worcester. This is Ireland's second series within the current Women's Championship cycle, making every result carry direct weight in the context of qualification for the 2029 World Cup.

England will be captained by spinner Charlie Dean, standing in for Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is still recovering from a calf injury. England's squad also includes three players yet to be capped at ODI level: Grace Potts, Kira Chathli and Charis Pavely, giving the hosts an element of freshness alongside their experienced core.

Who returns and who misses out for Ireland?

The three players unavailable through injury, Dalzell, Forbes and Aimee Maguire, were each part of the squad that took on West Indies at home in July. Their absence has brought Dempsey, McBride and Tector back into the reckoning, with Kelly also rejoining after missing that same series despite having been selected for it. The combination of experienced returners and a settled captain in Lewis gives Ireland a familiar look as they pursue crucial Championship points.