Ireland and Bangladesh booked their place in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2023 with wins in the semifinals of the qualifiers.
Bangladesh completed a 11-run win over Thailand and Ireland beat Zimbabwe by four runs in matches played here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium to book their berths, joining Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, who have already made it to the 10-team tournament.
Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty said: “We came here to qualify for the T20 World Cup, and we did it! We have been playing together for so many years, this is our time to show the world how good we are, how much we have improved as a side.
“There are a lot of experienced and talented players in our side, and we need to show the kind of potential we have. It was a little disappointing that we could not do well in batting today. But I was confident about my bowling side, and I am happy at the way we handled the pressure.”
Ireland captain Laura Delany said: “It (qualification) is massively important for the growth of the game in Ireland. We feel fortunate that Cricket Ireland have introduced full-time contracts and I think we are starting to see the benefit of that.
“We weren’t successful last time so wanted to do things differently. We are proud to have got over the line today. Qualifying for the World Cup is the next step in the journey, we will get to play against some better sides, hopefully on a more regular basis.”
The final will be played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
