Cricket Ireland on Thursday announced 16-man squad for their upcoming One Day International series against UAE and Afghanistan. Ireland is slated to play the ODI series against UAE and Afghanistan in January next year also a part of the World Cup Super League.
The players will fly to Abu Dhabi for the series earlier next month while the substitutes in case of any COVID-19 cases will join them in any case of emergency.
Wicket-keeper batsmen Gary Wilson won’t be a part of the squad for both the series as he has been granted paternity leave for the birth of his second child. The 20-year-old wicket-keeper batsman Neil Rock has been named his replacement for both the series in the squad.
Surprisingly, George Dockrell, William Porterfield and Boyd Rankin haven’t been named in the squad who played against England in July.
Ireland’s 16-man Squad:
Andrew Balbirnie (C), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, David Delany, Gareth Delany, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Kevin O’Brien, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.
Head coach Graham Ford is optimistic about the side’s progress in the last few months especially after the spectacular run-chase in the final ODI.
“It goes without saying that 2020 has been a difficult year, but the lads have acquitted themselves well and can be proud of what they have managed to achieve,” Ford said.
“We have two challenging series ahead of us, but we’re looking to create a sense of momentum going into a big year – a year that will feature multiple tours, a full home season and a T20 World Cup at the back end.” he added.
