Missing players an opportunity, not a challenge

George Dockrell of Ireland and Afghanistan wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz during the Men's T20 International match between Ireland and Afghanistan. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Heinrich Malan views missing key players like Mark Adair, Fionn Hand and Josh Little as an opportunity to increase the competitiveness of his squad when Ireland face England in a T20 international series this week. 

The trio, who are recovering from injuries, were present when Ireland beat England at the MCG in the 2022 T20 World Cup. 

"It's never ideal when you miss some of your quality players," said Ireland head coach Malan.

"I think we all agree to that, but in the same breath it creates opportunity. This is definitely one of those opportunities for us to build a bit of squad depth but also ensure that the players that do come in get a better feel and a taste for the experience of international cricket. Hopefully if things don't work out, they've got a couple areas that they can go back and work on.

"If things do work out, we've got some competitiveness within our squad. I think that's one of the key areas that we're trying to work on is ensure we've got a healthy competitive squad that there's healthy competition for places. We see it as a benefit, not necessarily a challenge."

23-year-old Ben Calitz, born in Canada to South African parents, has received his first Ireland senior call-up. 

"It's a nice opportunity for him to showcase some of those attributes that we've seen from him in the domestic game as a left-hander coming into that middle period, facing potentially a lot of spin," said Malan about the wicketkeeper and batter.

"He's got a nice power game and hopefully he can contribute from a strike rate perspective, making sure that he builds on the platform that our top order batters put in place for us."