Irish skipper Laura Delany is excited about the future

Delany has played 123 times for the national side – the 5th most capped international for Ireland Women – and captained the side on 45 occasions.

Ireland and the West Indies haven’t met on the field since 2011, a game which Delany and two of her current teammates – Kim Garth and Mary Waldron – also featured.

Speaking before a training session in the lead up to the West Indies encounter on 26 May, she said: m“We didn’t play the West Indies at the recent T20 World Cup, but we know their current reputation and approach to the game from analyst footage we have available.

“They like to play an attacking and aggressive brand of cricket, and when they get in look to be quite destructive.

“ We also know of several of their players from their involvement in the Big Bash in Australia.

“The Irish squad is very excited about the upcoming series, we know it will be a tough challenge, but it’s one we’re really looking forward to.

“Having the opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the world on home soil in front of our family and friends is always an exciting prospect for us.

“Most of our squad have had a pretty busy winter - seven players were based out in different parts of Australia focusing on developing different aspects of their game, whilst those that were based in Ireland were training hard out in North County.”

“We have a busy summer of cricket ahead of us at home, then have a quadrangular series to play away, before the T20 World Cup Qualifier which takes place at the end of the August in Scotland.”

Asked about the new contract and the impact of this move, she said:

“I was delighted to have been included in the small pool of players selected for a contract as Cricket Ireland take a big step forward in the women’s game. Personally, there are certain aspects of my game that I’ve have been trying to develop, so hopefully this will allow me to spend more time working and focusing on my game whilst not having to commit to a full-time job.”

“From a captaincy point of view, this means I will have more contact time with players which should have a positive impact on our development as a group.”