Ireland face a formidable foe today

Ireland's rapid rise in cricket is testimony to the work that's gone into the development of the game at the grassroots, reports Wisden India.
The establishment of a league structure has improved the standard of the game there. The ICC World Twenty20 2014 was an opportunity to further establish their rising stock, but that dream crashed to a premature end when they were blown away by the Netherlands in the qualifiers last week.
Now, it's up to the women to keep the flag flying, with the team gearing up for its maiden ICC Women's World Twenty20 appearance - against New Zealand, at the Sylhet Divisional Stadium on Tuesday (March 25).
The road to the tournament has been an eventful one for Ireland Women. They pipped the Netherlands Women by two runs in the third place playoffs at the qualifiers in June 2013 to earn a well-deserved place in the World T20.
Trent Johnston, the former captain, is easily the most recognisable face at training. Johnston took over as head coach of the women's team following his retirement in December, and the improvement since then has already made teams sit up and take notice. They beat Pakistan in a Twenty20 International in Qatar in January, and were close to toppling South Africa.
Leading the team is Isobel Joyce, sister of Ed Joyce, the Ireland batsman. Isobel, along with Cecelia, her twin, will lead the Irish charge. Isobel has been around for a long time now - in 2000, at 17, she represented Ireland at the Women's World Cup in New Zealand. In the same year, she played a Test against Pakistan - Ireland's only Test match till date - and her experience will be invaluable to a young group hungry to perform on the big stage.
Ireland lost both their warm-up fixtures, but displayed promising signs with the bat. They lost by 49 runs in the first game against Sri Lanka, but managed to give India a scare before they fell short by 26 runs. The team management can take heart from the form displayed by Clare Shillington, the opener, who made a brisk 47 in that game.
It's a quandary New Zealand wouldn't mind, as it indicates a healthy competition for places within the team. They have underachieved at global events in the recent past, but a second win against Ireland would go a long way in taking their first steps towards aiming for their maiden World T20 title.
Teams (from): Ireland: Laura Delany, Emma Flanagan, Isobel Joyce (capt), Mary Waldron (wk), Amy Kenealy, Jennifer Gray, Cecelia Joyce, Louise McCarthy, Kate McKenna, Lucy O'Reilly, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Rolfe, Melissa Scott-Hayward, Clare Shillington, Elena Tice.
New Zealand: Suzie Bates (capt), Sarah McGlashan, Frances Mackay, Katey Martin, Nicola Browne, Samantha Curtis, Sophie Devine, Rachel Priest (wk) Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Felicity Leydon-Davis, Morna Neilson, Katie Perkins.