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Ireland's head coach, Lloyd Tennant, is keeping his spirits high despite the team's four-wicket loss to England at the Hampshire Bowl. He believes that their performance against one of the tournament favorites offers a lot of hope for the future. 

This marks Ireland's fifth appearance at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, where they’re up against tough competition in Group 2, including hosts England, Sri Lanka, Scotland, West Indies, and the reigning champions, New Zealand. Unfortunately, the tournament hasn't started off well, with back-to-back losses to Scotland and England extending Ireland’s winless streak at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to 19 matches. 

"You would say that Scotland was a game that it's a 50-50 chance for us, you know, they'd expect to beat us, I would think we'd expect to beat them. You get off to a loss in the World Cup, it's a bit annoying and you're going to be a little bit down," Tennant said as quoted by ICC.

However, the atmosphere in the Irish camp seems to have shifted after their match against England. Facing a team that’s often seen as one of the best in the world, Ireland put up a commendable fight, convincing Tennant that his players can hold their own against top-tier competition. 

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Ireland kicked off the match strongly, putting England under pressure by reducing them to 35 for 3 during the powerplay. Although seasoned players Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight managed to stabilize the innings and lead England to victory, they had to earn it, finishing the chase with 15 balls to spare. 

"You come to play England, they're one of the best sides in the world. And I think we've shown that we can compete. So like I said, if you can enjoy a loss, we've probably enjoyed that as much as we can. And we take some positives from that and try and if we can build on it, that'd be brilliant,” said Tennant.

With an average squad age of just 23, Ireland is one of the youngest teams in the tournament. Tennant, who took the helm in June 2025, is dedicated to treating each match as a crucial learning opportunity for his growing squad.

With three group-stage matches still ahead, he encouraged his players to draw confidence from their performance against England and to keep believing in their potential to compete with the best teams in the world.

"If we can maintain that standard in our next three games, I think we're moving forwards," Tennant concluded.