OP's change up

Dave Sihra (Substack - Dave Meets Ball)

Orla Prendergast has made the announcement she is changing her shirt number to honour her father who passed this year, which will be a big move for the all-rounder with plenty inspiring the decision.

“I’m pretty superstitious, so it took a little bit of self-convincing to move on from number 84.”

Orla Prendergast here hits on the key issue with sportspeople sticking to one shirt number.

Players do change numbers from time to time but if things go really well - why tempt fate? Especially when you’ve folks who might be as superstitious as professional athletes.

Sometimes your number can just be the one you picked when you were capped for your country at Under-19 level. Then other times there can be much more to the story.

Before his recent debut, Ireland Men’s international Ben Calitz discussed picking 75 as a tribute to his mother who has survived illness and inspired him on his journey.

In football, Brighton midfielder James Milner now wears the number 20 shirt as a mark of respect to former Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash before the current season.

Liverpool of course have found defending their Premier League title extremely challenging, and it remains to be seen how much this is down to a team in mourning just after securing the crown in April.

Amongst all of this, Orla Prendergast has made a very personal decision of her own to change from 84 to 10 to honour her father Peter who passed away in May of this year.

Prendergast, 23, has done remarkably well in her Ireland career to date. There’s no doubt that her wicket is one of those prized the most by the opposition, and her spells are the ones you play out.

A steady body of work is also being built by the all-rounder. 2024 of course had the tremendous high of 122 not out off 107 deliveries (which included 3-25 and two catches) to complete a memorable victory in the first One Day International against Sri Lanka to set the tone for an historic series win.

She was also the top run-scorer in the T20I series against England which they drew 1-1 and the top wicket-taker in the T20I series away against Bangladesh which they took 3-0.

Prendergast’s international performances have brought her to the Big Bash League, the Caribbean Premier League as well as multiple stints in England.

She was also named in the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year for 2024 with Tahlia McGrath her captain at the Adelaide Strikers describing her as: “a superstar all-rounder”.

In August of this year she was then announced as the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for August 2025 – becoming the fifth Irish woman to receive the honour.
So far so good? Maybe time for a change?

Sometimes these types of decisions are easier than others. “My dad was always my biggest support in cricket - the first person I’d go to on my good days and my bad days” explained Orla in the announcement of the change.

Orla Prendergast of course was also a special football talent who eventually made the decision to focus on cricket, having previously played for Ireland Under-17s Women and Leicester Celtic FC in Rathfarnham.

Her late father Peter besides playing his cricket for Clontarf CC over 16 seasons was also accomplished on the football pitch - even featuring in the League of Ireland.

Peter Prendergast played with UCD’s inter-varsity team in the Autumn of 1983, and then turned out for their ‘B’ Division side in 1983/84. He made occasional appearances in the College’s League of Ireland side in the following season with his league debut coming in a 2-2 draw away to Finn Harps on 7 April 1985.

“He constantly told me how proud he was of me, and I hope to continue making him proud with the number 10 on my back in memory of him.
“I’m always trying to think of ways to keep him close to me and having the number 10 on my shirt is another way of doing so.”

Just numbers?

Orla’s 122* and 3-25 with two catches in that ODI win against Sri Lanka in Belfast of course wasn’t just any regular performance.

It was the kind of performance that hasn’t been done before in ODIs. Well there was one in the Men’s game: Sri Lanka’s Aravinda De Silva - Mad Max himself, and in the 1996 World Cup final no less.

For Ireland fans, those numbers from August 16th, 2024 at Stormont aren’t simply a match-winning day out. They’re part of something completely unique we saw that day from a unique talent. A piece of Irish cricket history.

For OP the move from 84 to 10 will be big. It may even take some getting to used to when Ireland play South African this month for three T20Is and three ODIs.
Sometimes with grief having that link can be so important. Orla’s father has obviously been a massive influence on her sporting career to date, and that connection even covers two sports.

Irish cricket fans are immensely proud of what she’s achieved. Now here’s to everything she’ll do next with number 10.

This article was originally published on Dave Sihra’s Substack: Dave Meets Ball