Dublin, Jan 10 (IANS): Ireland on Tuesday named a young squad led by Laura Delany for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa.

Laura Delany will lead a squad that has an average age of 24 years for the World Cup. Having missed out on qualifying for the event in 2020, this will be Ireland's first appearance at the Women's T20 World Cup since 2018.

Coached by former Ireland and England international Ed Joyce, Ireland had an incredible 2022, winning eight T20Is, the joint-most they have won in a year in the format in women's cricket.

"It was incredibly rewarding and encouraging to see our squad progress so far both on and off the field in 2022, recording a number of breakthrough results as a team and as individuals," national selector Carrie Archer said.

"While there were numerous highlights, the most gratifying of all was the successful T20 World Cup qualifying campaign. We haven't featured in a global tournament since 2018.

While we came heartbreakingly close at the 2019 qualifier, we ultimately fell short, so this year's qualification felt like redemption and reward for the hard work the players, coaches and support staff have put in," she added.

Ireland will take on England first on February 13. India, Pakistan and West Indies are the other teams in their group.The tournament begins on February 10 in South Africa, with the final set for the 26th of the month.

Squad: Laura Delany (captain), Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Arlene Kelly, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.