Ireland's women to meet England and New Zealand

Ireland's women will face double world-champions England as well as New Zealand in a quadrangular tournament to be held in England in July. An MCC XI will be the fourth team.

"These type of games are just what is required, and with the quality in the squad, the playing programme is warranted," said Ireland Cricket operations director Mark Garaway. "We can only improve by playing top level opposition, and it will give the squad a terrific lift."

"I'm absolutely delighted that Ireland has been given the chance to play two of the best sides in the world this summer," said Irish captain Heather Whelan. "Playing England and New Zealand outside of a World Cup is a fantastic opportunity for us. It's especially exciting for the new players on the squad who would never have played against opposition of this calibre before."

"It's a great way to start off our international season before heading to Scotland for the European Championships in August and then Dubai for the ranking tournament in October."