Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Gaby Lewis: Ireland's captain scored 44 runs in defeat (file photo).Seb Daly/SPORTSFILE FreeCricket Ireland let dream start at Cricket World Cup qualifiers slip through their fingers Ireland must finish in the top two to qualify for the World Cup in India later this year. 5.37pm, 9 Apr 2025 Share options Pakistan Women 217 (49 overs) Ireland Women 179 (44 overs) Pakistan Women won by 38 runs IRELAND WERE left to wonder what might have been as they saw a promising lead against hosts Pakistan collapse in their opening match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup qualifier on Thursday. Advertisement Ed Joyce’s side started brightly and were firmly on track to chase down their target of 218 when captain Gaby Lewis was bowled lbw to put them on 96-2. They continued to build and after Leah Paul’s dismissal left them on 153-5 with 77 balls remaining, still needed just 65 runs to shock their hosts and get the tournament off to a dream start. But with Player of the Match Diana Baig (4-35) in lethal form with the ball, Ireland coughed up those final five wickets across the middle and lower order for a paltry 26. It was a disappointing end to a day which started with much promise when Ireland put Pakistan in to bat and Jane Maguire (3-33) and Kelly (2-34) impressed in attack. An equally imposing test awaits in Ireland’s second game on Friday, where they will face a West Indies looking to bounce back from their own defeat to Scotland (5.30am start Irish time). The top two teams from the six-team tournament qualify for the World Cup which will be played in India in September and October. Niall Kelly Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Ireland let dream start at Cricket World Cup qualifiers slip through their fingers”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Ireland let dream start at Cricket World Cup qualifiers slip through their fingers”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. 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