Cricket
Kathryn Bryce stars with bat and ball as Scotland beat Ireland to reach Women’s T20 World Cup for first time; Ireland miss out on fifth appearance at tournament; 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, in Bangladesh, live on Sky Sports from October 3 with England to play South Africa in opening game
Sunday 5 May 2024 19:43, UK
Scotland have qualified for the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time after beating Ireland in the battle for a spot at the tournament proper in Bangladesh this October.
The top two sides in the qualifying competition in the UAE reach the 10-team main event in the autumn, joining England, Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh.
Scotland snatched the first of those remaining spots – Sri Lanka saw off UAE to claim the other – after defeating Ireland by eight wickets in the semi-finals thanks to a superb all-round display from skipper Kathryn Bryce.
Bryce took 4-8 from four overs, including the wickets of Amy Hunter and Gaby Lewis for ducks in the first over of the game and opposing captain Laura Delany for two in the fifth, as Ireland slumped to 47-6 before Leah Paul (45) and Arlene Kelly (45) propelled their side to 110-9 with a stand of 60.
But that total proved insufficient as Bryce struck an unbeaten 35 from 29 balls after opener Megan McColl had hit 50 from 47, with Scotland reaching their target in 16.2 overs to qualify for their first World Cup in either the 20-over or 50-over format.
Ireland, who won each of their four matches in the group stage, have missed out on a fifth appearance at the T20 World Cup.
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The main tournament begins on October 3 with England taking on South Africa in the opening match before hosts Bangladesh tackle one of the qualifiers later the same day.
The entire competition will be broadcast live on Sky Sports as Australia look to claim the title for the third time in a row and England target a first victory since the inaugural edition in 2009.
It’s one of the biggest sporting events in a generation. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk collide for the undisputed world heavyweight championship on Saturday May 18, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book the fight now.
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