The Hills seamer Jane Maguire is looking forward to the World Cup Qualifiers which get underway in Pakistan later this week.
The squad are currently preparing for the tournament with a training camp in Dubai before flying to Pakistan on Friday.
The six-team WCQ will see Ireland vying with Pakistan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Scotland and the West Indies for the two remaining slots at the World Cup, which is in India this September.
22-year-old Maguire, who is returning to the side after injury, has taken 24 wickets in her 42 appearances to date with her best bowling 2-14 against Pakistan.
The Maguire family
"I’m so excited to be back because it feels like it's been a while since my last game against England at the end of the 2024 home series," said Maguire.
"Obviously the girls have been to Bangladesh and India since then - so I really can't wait to wear the green jersey again and be back with them on the field.
"Qualifiers can be very different compared to a normal bilateral series because there's maybe four or five teams to deal with. You have to prepare but also not overcomplicate things in your preparation. Just keep it really simple, stay true to your plans, then also adjust to a few key players.
"For a few months we’ve been training indoors with very high intensity. Training has been actually quite tough, but now we're really excited to get going in Pakistan."
Ireland play West Indies and Thailand in warm-up matches on Saturday and Monday, before starting the tournament proper against the hosts next Wednesday (April 9).
FIXTURES
5 April 2025: Ireland vs West Indies - Gaddafi Stadium (first warm up game) 14:00PM
7 April 2025: Ireland vs Thailand - LCCA (second warm up game) 9:30AM
9 April 2025: Ireland vs Pakistan - Gaddafi Stadium 9:30AM
11 April 2025: Ireland vs West Indies - Gaddafi Stadium 9:30AM
13 April 2025: Ireland vs Bangladesh - Gaddafi Stadium 14:00PM
15 April 2025: Ireland vs Thailand - LCCA 9:30AM
18 April 2025: Ireland vs Scotland Gaddafi Stadium 14:00PM
