Challenge to produce quality

India meet Ireland at Hagley Park tomorrow in a fifth-round match at the CricInfo Women's World Cup that is unlikely to have any bearing on the tournament but reflects the emotional ride that teams here in Christchurch are undergoing.

On paper it looks like no contest; Ireland without a win and India losing only to the tournament favourites, Australia and New Zealand. However, it is a tough match for both teams, the greatest challenge to good performances coming from within themselves.

India face picking themselves up for a match that they would find hard to prepare for after a heavy defeat by New Zealand and with their star teenage batsman, Mithali Raj, having been admitted to hospital for tests related to a throat infection. Ireland, on the other hand, go into the game knowing that their prospects for sixth spot on the table and a guaranteed place have been dashed by Sri Lanka's win over the Netherlands today.

For one team it is an opportunity to hone skills; for the other to play for pride. And it has certainly been a feature of this tournament that no teams have been guilty of going through the motions.