Cricket Ireland (CI) have revealed their men’s squads for the forthcoming multi-format series against Afghanistan, set to commence in late February in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With a blend of seasoned players and promising newcomers, the squads aim to deliver competitive performances across all formats.

Debut anticipation

Matthew Foster, a 24-year-old pace bowler hailing from Northern Knights and CSNI in Ireland’s domestic competitions, stands poised for his international debut across formats. Foster’s inclusion in both the Test and white-ball squads marks a significant moment, alongside three other uncapped players, namely Barry McCarthy, Theo van Woerkom, and Craig Young.

Format overview

The series kicks off with a one-off Test scheduled to begin in Abu Dhabi on February 28, where Andrew Balbirnie will lead the Test side. Following the Test match, three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) will take place in Sharjah from March 7 to March 18. Paul Stirling, Balbirnie’s successor in the white-ball format, will continue to lead the team in both the ODI and T20I series.

Preparation and expectations

Ahead of the series, Ireland underwent rigorous training in Spain after achieving a clean sweep of their ODI and T20I series in Zimbabwe in December. The team is set to fly out to the UAE five days prior to the commencement of the one-off Test. Andrew White, Selector for Ireland Men, emphasized the significance of this series in their preparations, particularly with the T20 World Cup looming on the horizon.

“This series is a crucial one in our preparations ahead of a big summer, which includes the T20 World Cup. This is always a highly-anticipated contest and I would expect this to be a hard-fought series – one I’m very much looking forward to,” said White, selector for Ireland Men in an official statement.

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Ireland’s squads for the multi-format series against Afghanistan:

Test: Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Matthew Foster, Graham Hume, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Theo van Woerkom, Craig Young

ODI: Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Foster, Graham Hume, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Paul Stirling (c), Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Theo van Woerkom, Craig Young

T20I: Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Paul Stirling (c), Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

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