Prendergast named in ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year

Pembroke all-rounder Orla Prendergast, 22, has recently been named in the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year announced for 2024.

In a remarkable year in the shortest format of the game, Prendergast scored 544 runs across 18 matches at an average of 36.26 with a highest score of 80. She then also took 21 wickets in the format at an average of 12.90, with a best bowling performance of 4-22.

The all-rounder began the year brightly by scoring 188 at an average of 47.00 across five innings in a T20I series against Zimbabwe Women back in January, and continued her good form throughout the year.

However a major highlight was her performance against England in September where to scored 80 runs off 51 balls and took 2-31 to help tie the series 1-1, bringing her both Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards.

Prendergast was then rewarded for her performances when she was picked by the Adelaide Strikes in the Women’s Big Bash League with Strikers captain Tahlia McGrath adding “We think she is a superstar allrounder”.

In December last year, Prendergast broke into the top ten of the ICC Women’s T20I All-Rounder Rankings, currently sitting in joint-ninth place. She reflected on what it means being named in the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year announced for 2024:

“It’s a huge honour to be named in the T20I team of the year alongside some of the best players in the world. I had a busy year and was lucky enough to receive a couple of opportunities to play some cricket in England and Australia. These experience always prove invaluable when I return to compete for Ireland. In a year with T20 World Cup qualification disappointment, we bounced back with multiple performances and wins against teams ranked above us. We’ll now be looking to build on these performances in the coming year with a lot of exciting series to come in 2025.”

The post Prendergast named in ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year appeared first on Cricket Ireland.