Southampton: England beat Ireland by four wickets to record their second win in Group B of the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday.
Chasing 119, England recovered from a brief mid-innings wobble through the partnership of captain Nat Skiver-Friend and Heather Knight to reach the target for six wickets in 17.3 overs.
Skiver-Friend smashed 48 off 37 balls with 4 fours before retiring with England needing 9 runs to win.
Knight added 26 runs off 23 balls including 2 fours while Danny Wyatt-Hodge scored a fluent 16 off 16 balls with 3 fours.
Ireland’s bowlers fought hard to stay in the match, with Aimee Maguire and Orla Prendergast claiming two wickets each, but their efforts were ultimately in vain.
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, some disciplined bowling from England led by Sophie Ecclestone restricted Ireland to 118-9 in 20 overs.
Prendergast and Lewis Little top scored for Ireland. Prendergast scored 26 off 18 balls with 4 fours while Little remained unbeaten on 26 off 15 balls including 5 fours.
Alana Dalzell added 14 off 18 balls, and Alice Tector and Leah Paul scored 10 each, but Ireland struggled for pace as wickets fell at regular intervals.
Opener Amy Hunter hit a 5-ball six while skipper KP Lewis was dismissed for a first-ball duck. Rebecca Stoekel scored 9 off 14 balls, while Arlene Kelly and Kara Murray were dismissed for 7 and one respectively.
Ecclestone led the England attack with figures of 3-22 from his four overs. Charlie Dean and Danny Gibson took 2 wickets each and Lynsey Smith and Lauren Bell took 1 wicket each.
Ireland next face New Zealand at the same venue on June 19, while England take on Scotland in Leeds on June 20.