"My next goal is to do well in the T20 World Cup" - Gaby Lewis

Starting at a very early age, Lewis made her debut in 2014 at the age of 13 years 166 days old. She broke the record made by her teammate Lucy O'Reilly for the youngest T20I player and became the first international player, who was born in the 21st century. She and her elder sister Robyn Lewis used to play for YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin and they continue to play for the club in Division 1 of the Leinster Senior League.

Speaking to Women’s CricZone, Lewis said, "Cricket has always been in my family, from a young age I have always been around cricket grounds. I joined YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin at a junior level, a club that both my father and grandfather played for, and I still play for the club today alongside my sister Robyn."

Belonging to a family full of cricket, it never poses any pressure on her. She, alongside her sister, is part of the national team too. "There has never been any pressure on me to play, having it in my family. I have always had the freedom to make those decisions myself. It has always been a huge advantage to me having them in my family and one which has helped advanced my cricket."

 

Gaby Lewis acknowledges the crowd after scoring a half-century against New Zealand. ©Seb Daly/Sportsfile

 

Both the sisters first came into limelight in November 2013, when they became part of Ireland's Emerging Players Squad. Gaby Lewis became the first of the two, who got the chance to play in Ireland's senior team in July 2014. Excited Lewis shared, "I made my debut in 2014 at the age of 13. Of course, I was hugely excited to be selected to play, it was great to have a welcoming team around me which made the experience even better. The best thing for me is that most of the players in that first match I played are still playing in the international team today – we are a close squad who has played together for a number of years."

After her debut in the International side, she played five matches in the ECB Women's T20 Cup against the English county sides in 2014 and played twice against the Netherlands at the 2014 European Championship. In the second match, she scored 38 from 35 balls coming in the third position in the batting order and made a 94-run partnership with experienced Clare Shillington.

Not only batting, she has left her mark in bowling too. She has taken 10 wickets in her 17 ODIs and 3 wickets in 20 T20Is so far. "All young cricketers in Ireland are encouraged to do both and are taught both equally, so it wasn’t really a choice I have just always done both."

 

Prior to the Women's One Day International match between Ireland and New Zealand at the YMCA Cricket Club in Sandymount, Dublin. ©Seb Daly/Sportsfile

 

Lewis also played in the 2015 World T20 Qualifiers in Thailand. At the 2016 World T20 in India, she played only two matches against New Zealand and Sri Lanka and was unable to perform well. She was the part of the World T20 Qualifiers last month. Though Ireland played really well in the group league matches but lost to Bangladesh in the final.

"We had such a great tournament as a team, but at the end of the day our performance in the Final boiled down to our batting. We lost wickets in clusters and never developed a match-winning partnership. It is all part of a learning process for our team, and we’ll take these learnings into the main tournament in November."

Right after the qualifiers, she played in the Women’s Global Development Squad (WGDS). Happy to be selected, she expressed, "I was very happy to be selected for the WGDS, at first I was nervous about mixing with the players of different playing styles but I was soon proved wrong. The experience was great to be involved in and the team gelled very well in a short space of time and put in great performances throughout the week, and of course, it was great to win 3 matches."

 

Against New Zealand during the Women's T20 International match at the YMCA Cricket Club Dublin in Sandymount, Dublin. ©Seb Daly/Sportsfile

 

ICC T20 World Cup is the next big tournament and they are preparing hard for it. Her next goal is to do well there. "My next goal is really to do well at the World T20 in November. It’s early stages yet but we are training hard and looking forward to the event immensely. It’s an exciting time for Irish women’s cricket." She further added that it will be tough to compete with the world's best sides in the World Cup as "T20 format tends to bring teams closer."

Lewis was selected as a rookie talent by the ICC to perform in the Women’s Big Bash League last year. Though she didn’t get the chance to play, the experience was great. "While I didn’t play in the WBBL, but training alongside some of the best players and listening to their insights was incredibly valuable. I’d love to return and be part of the competition again, and Test myself in one of the world’s most competitive women’s domestic competition."

ICC Women’s World Cup was a big turning point for Women’s Cricket last year. Girls are more into cricket now. They are enrolling themselves in the various coaching centers. Ireland is no different. "There are more girls playing cricket in Ireland especially young girls, and there is much greater interest in the women’s game."

Team Women's CricZone wishes the 17-year-old all-rounder lots of success for the future.