ENGLAND TOUR OF IRELAND
Ireland will host England for three T20Is in Malahide © Getty
Ireland will be missing the services of the experienced Mark Adair and Josh Little when they host England for a historic three-match T20I series at Malahide, starting September 17. The duo are still in rehab and were therefore unavailable for selection.
The series marks the first time Ireland are hosting England at home in the shortest format. The two sides have only met twice previously in T20Is – the first in 2010 being a wash out and Ireland securing a famous five-run win at the Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Melbourne in the second, rain-affected contest.
The hosts have handed a maiden T20I call up to wicketkeeper-batter Ben Calitz for the series. The 23-year old was born in Vancouver, Canada and has represented his country of birth at the Under-19 level before moving to Ireland in 2022.
Squad: Paul Stirling (C), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Barry McCarthy, Jordan Neil, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young
“While every match against England is a special occasion, this series takes on extra importance given we are less than six months out from the next T20 World Cup [which will be played in India and Sri Lanka]. These matches against England offer us an opportunity to test ourselves against one of the world’s best teams as we build-up to that tournament,” said men’s national selector Andrew White. “As it stands, we are set to play as many T20I matches in the next five months as we have already played in this cycle to date, but we’ll transition to Asian and Middle East venues to better prepare the squad for conditions they will likely face on the subcontinent.
“While it’s unfortunate that Mark [Adair], Fionn [Hand] and Josh [Little] are not available, this series will give several other members of the bowling group the chance to step up and challenge for World Cup spots,” White added.
“While we have excellent cover at the top of the order, it is the middle-order batting where we are looking to increase our depth. As part of this focus, we welcome Ben Calitz into the squad – who gives us a left-handed batting option, as well as wicketkeeping cover – and Jordan Neill returns as cover for Mark Adair, as he did in the West Indies ODI series earlier this summer before injury cut his debut short.”
© Cricbuzz
