News

DUBLIN – Cricket Ireland has today named two squads ahead of a busy month of international men’s cricket in Ireland.
The first squad is the Senior Men’s team that will play the following matches:

• Ireland v England one-day international (3 May 2019)
• Ireland v West Indies one-day international (5 May 2019)
• Ireland v Bangladesh one-day international (9 May 2019)

The second squad is the Ireland Wolves team that will play a 50-over match against Bangladesh on 5 May 2019.

Andrew White, Chair of National Men’s Selectors, said:

“This is an incredibly busy period for the international men’s team, playing four Full Member sides over the next month. The selection of the squads was incredibly challenging, with a number of players returning from injury, and good form being displayed by several players in La Manga.”

“We have also had the benefit of seeing a pool of established and emerging players playing competitive cricket over the winter – both in Sri Lanka with the Wolves, and in India for the Afghanistan series.”

Ireland Men’s squad (for matches on 3, 5, 9 May)

William Porterfield (captain), Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson.

Image: Tim Murtagh against England in 2017

About the senior men’s squad, Mr White said:

“We have chosen what we believe to be a squad that blends experience and youth, as well as rewarding form and consistency over recent months. As a testament to the increasing depth of talent we have at present, there are numerous players who have been unfortunate to miss out on this squad, however through the Wolves match they will have a chance to push for higher honours in the latter half of the Tri-Series and beyond.”

“Of those emerging players, we have been delighted to watch the continued improvement of Josh Little and Lorcan Tucker – both of whom will now be in the running to make their debuts in one-day international cricket. Josh gives us that left-arm pace variation and he has continued to impress with some consistent performances – we believe he can transfer his T20 skills into the one-day arena. As for Lorcan, fans of Irish cricket have seen some stellar performances by him over the first few months of the year, most notably in Sri Lanka and La Manga. While he has been on our radar and around the senior squad in recent times, we’ve started to see greater confidence and consistency in his approach, and he is definitely one of those putting his hand up at the moment.”

“The return of Gary Wilson to the squad is a boost, after missing the Afghanistan series through injury, adding lower order experience, and Stuart Thompson’s all-round seam bowling gives us options. The Selectors were also impressed with the form and consistent improvement of Barry McCarthy over recent times. Not only is Barry’s bowling at a much better place than it was this time last year, the work he has put in over the off season has been testament to his professional approach.”

“The reason we have only confirmed a squad for the first half of the Tri-Series is to give the selectors the opportunity to take into consideration the performances in the Wolves fixture and also in case there are any changes to pitch conditions”

Image: Paul Stirling hits out against Afghanistan, March 2019

Ireland Wolves squad (for match on 5 May)

Harry Tector (captain), Mark Adair, James Cameron-Dow, Peter Chase, Stephen Doheny, Shane Getkate, Tyrone Kane, Neil Rock, James Shannon, Simi Singh, Jack Tector, Craig Young.

About the Wolves squad, Mr White said:

“With the Wolves match against Bangladesh on at the same day as Ireland plays West Indies, this will provide Selectors will be a rare opportunity to see 22 of the best Irish cricketers playing at the same time against world-class opposition.”

“Harry Tector will retain leadership of the Wolves side, after impressing with his captaincy in Sri Lanka and his stand-out performances in La Manga last week. There were several other eye-catching performances in La Manga with Mark Adair having an outstanding few days of Cup action, and we are excited to see what he can offer moving forward.”

“It’s also good to welcome James Shannon and Tyrone Kane back from injuries – both players will hopefully use the opportunity to get back into form after their lay-offs.”

“Selectors will be paying close attention to the Wolves game, and performances at this level may well see opportunities open up at a higher level during the season.”

FIXTURES

• 3 May 2019: Ireland Men v England Men, ODI, Malahide Cricket Club, Dublin (starts 10.45am)
• 5 May 2019: Ireland Men v West Indies Men, ODI, Clontarf Cricket Club, Dublin (starts 10.45am)
• 5 May 2019: Ireland Wolves v Bangladesh Men, 50-over match, The Hills Cricket Club, County Dublin (starts 11.45am)
• 9 May 2019: Ireland Men v Bangladesh Men, ODI, Malahide Cricket Club, Dublin (starts 10.45am)

For the full fixture list of the international men’s season, click here.

William Porterfield will lead a strong ODI squad
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