Ireland announce squad for T20 World Cup in Australia
WORLD CUP READY: Cricket Ireland has today announced a 15-player squad for Ireland Men’s T20 World Cup campaign in Australia starting next month. Pic: Sportsfile
Cricket Ireland has revealed the 15-player squad for Ireland Men’s T20 World Cup campaign in Australia starting next month.
This will be the first major tournament under head coach Heinrich Malan, and follows a series win for Ireland against Afghanistan in August at Stormont.
Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Paul Stirling (vice-captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Conor Olphert, Simi Singh, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.
Andrew White, Chair of National Men’s Selectors, said:
“It’s an exciting time for Irish cricket as we embark on another major global tournament. Over the last year we have been building a solid core squad, while creating more depth in our T20 cricket. I think fans have started to see the positive strides the players have been making in this format – especially with the series win over Afghanistan - and we hope we can take this momentum into the tournament in Australia.
“Our belief is that this T20 World Cup is not an end point but the beginning of a new era. The age profile of this squad makes our future prospects very exciting, and after a season of eye-catching performances we have seen a greater level of interest in our players by teams in franchise tournaments around the world, which is a positive sign.
“One of the most pleasing aspects of our recent performances is the way the middle order has stepped up – particularly the likes of Harry Tector and George Dockrell. The label ‘finisher’ is often overused, but George’s reinvention, in particular, has been pivotal in recent successes - his experience and calmness under pressure will be indispensable as we move into competitive action.
“One of the most considered decisions we had to make was around our spin bowling options. With George Dockrell and Gareth Delany both having an impact this summer and the variation they bring to the attack, it came down to making a choice between Simi Singh and Andy McBrine. Andy can feel very unfortunate to have missed out this time, but we believe Simi offers more variation on Australian wickets with his ability to take the ball away from both right and left handers.'
“We believe this is one of the strongest T20 squads we have sent to a World Cup and wish the team and coaching staff well for the tournament ahead.”
The squad departs on September 29, 2022 and will travel to Sydney where they will play a three-match warm-up series prior to the event support period starting on October 9.
Warm-up fixtures:
October 4: Ireland XI v Randwick Petersham XI (T20; Coogee Oval; start time 1pm)
October 5: Ireland XI v SCG XI (T20; Coogee Oval; start time 1pm)
October 7: Ireland XI v NSW XI (T20; Coogee Oval; start time 1pm)
Ireland will then travel to Melbourne to play two official ICC Men’s T20 World Cup warm-up matches, before moving to Hobart for the first round of the tournament proper.
Official fixtures:
October 11: Ireland v Namibia (T20; MCG; start time 7pm)
October 13: Ireland v Sri Lanka (T20; Junction Oval; start time 3pm)
October 17: Ireland v Zimbabwe (T20 World Cup Round 1; Hobart; start time 7pm)
October 19: Ireland v Scotland (T20 World Cup Round 1; Hobart; start time 3pm)
October 21: Ireland v West Indies (T20 World Cup Round 1; Hobart; start time 3pm)
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