Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Manchester: Cricket Ireland have named a 14-member squad that will travel to England next week to play a historic Test match, which begins from 24 July, at Lord's.
This will be Ireland's third Test since being admitted to full member status by the ICC. They had lost their first by five wickets against Pakistan in Dublin in May 2018, and then faced a seven-wicket defeat against Afghanistan in March 2019.
Andrew White, Chair of National Men’s Selectors, said: "The historic nature of this Test match will not be lost on anyone, however, the players will not be overawed by the occasion. I think we demonstrated the fight and talent we possess in the recent ODI against England at Malahide, and I expect the players will look to be just as competitive in the Test arena.
"We have stated all along that as Selectors we are looking for players not only in-form but displaying consistent performances, and I believe we have selected a squad that reflects this. It’s also a squad that balances experience and emerging talent, which is necessary in looking to the future in this format of the game. This may only be our third Test, but we have 11 more to play over the next three years and our two Tests to date have shown glimpses of the potential we possess.
"We often say that this is a team in transition, but recent performances at home give us great optimism that we are on the right path and will come to Lord’s with confidence and belief," he added.
The same squad is also slated to play a two-day warm-up game against a Middlesex 2nd XI at Merchant Taylor's School on 18 and 19 July.
Ireland squad: William Porterfield (c), Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Andrew McBrine, James McCollum, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.
