The pace trio of Josh Little, Mark Adair, and Fionn Hand will miss the upcoming home T20I series against England, starting on 17 September. Uncapped Ben Calitz has been named in a 14-member squad and is in line to make his international debut against the two-time world champions.
For the first time, Ireland will be hosting England for a T20I series.
“While every match against England is a special occasion, this series takes on extra importance given we are now less than six months away from the next T20 World Cup,” said Andrew White, Ireland’s National Men’s Selector. “These matches offer us an opportunity to test ourselves against one of the world’s best teams as we build up to that tournament.”
Adair underwent knee surgery last month and is currently doing his rehab, while Little has a side strain. Hand is also recovering from injury.
“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.
Calitz, the wicketkeeper-batter, played for Canada at U19 level before moving to Ireland in 2022. Having made his ODI debut against the West Indies, Jordan Neill is also in line for a T20I debut.
“While we have excellent cover at the top of the order, it is in the middle-order batting where we are looking to increase our depth. As part of this focus, we welcome Ben Calitz into the squad — he 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.”
Ireland squad for England T20Is: Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Barry McCarthy, Jordan Neill, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
For More Sports Related News: Follow RevSportz