Laura Delany has returned to full fitness ahead of the Bangladesh tour later this month. The former Ireland captain sustained an ankle injury during the T20I series against Sri Lanka in August, which forced her to miss the rest of the home summer matches against Sri Lanka and England.

“Things are going really well," said Delany who will be in the squad for the six-match series. I am hoping to be back bowling off a full run-up soon and that I am given the go ahead to get back into full training and hopefully playing very soon.”

“It is excellent news that Laura is returning to full fitness," said Head Coach Ed Joyce. "She is one of our best and most experienced players. Her ability to bat in the top six and bowl at different stages of the game helps to balance our team nicely in both formats. She is also one of the few players in our group that has played in Bangladesh previously and that experience will be invaluable to this very young team.

“We will have to be mindful that Laura is returning from a serious injury and therefore hasn’t had game time for several months. There is an important tour to India in January as well as World Cup qualifiers in March ‘25. We need to give her the best chance of being fit and available to play in these, so we will be monitoring her loads closely over the next few months with this in mind.”

It will be a first tour for Delany after her ousting as captain last month. She reflected on her eight years at the helm, pointing out a few of the many highlights.

“The first thing that stands out was beating South Africa at home in my first series as captain. We’ve beaten Sri Lanka, away series wins against Zimbabwe and Pakistan stand out, and having the opportunity to lead Ireland in two T20 World Cups in the West Indies and South Africa was really special.

“I think it’s crazy to look back and think of where the team was when I first took on the captaincy. We had players that were working full-time, in school or in college and we’d meet very early in the morning, be it 6 or 7am, to go out and do our gym sessions. You’d then go about your day and then meet back in North County in the evening to have a skills session, and that’s pretty much what our weekdays looked like when we were building up to any series or any tournament.

“We were all there because we wanted to be there, we wanted to play for Ireland, and we wanted to be the best that we could, and I believe that those players paved the way for where the team is now and the support that we have. That increased support looks like having a full-time video analyst, Jay Shelat, and he is someone as a captain that I have spent a lot of time working with. But to see that every player in the squad has a contract, be it full-time, part-time or a summer retainer is brilliant. I think there is definitely work to be done there in terms of parity with the men, but the ICA (Irish Cricketers Association) are working incredibly hard, and I have no doubt that in time we will get there.”

Captaining Ireland is not something that can be done alone, it requires lots of support from family, friends, coaches and staff and Delany is so appreciative of the people she has had the opportunity to play and work with along the way.

“As I have already said, I thoroughly enjoyed leading the team and it is sad - it’s nearly like the end of one chapter and there are a lot of people that I would like to thank: those in Cricket Ireland who have trusted me with the role in the last eight years; all my coaches and support staff that I have worked with during my tenure; my teammates, past and present.

“I have been so lucky to have been able to captain people who are super hard-working, committed and just good people and I really appreciate their support and respect. I want to thank the senior members of the team who were there when I first took on the captaincy for their guidance and support. To my club Leinster, to my family, to my friends, they’ve always had my back. I’m incredibly grateful for the support I’ve had over the years, and I sincerely thank them for that.”