Irish Cricket has announced its 15-man preliminary squad for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in the USA and West Indies. The squad remains unchanged from the squad that played in the last T20I series against Afghanistan.
This continuity reflects Ireland’s successful approach to the 2022 World Cup, where they reached the Super 12 stage after victories over the West Indies and Scotland before pulling off an upset against eventual champions England.
Focus on familiar faces with new additions
The team will be led by experienced batsman Paul Stirling, who will be competing in the T20 World Cup for the eighth consecutive time. Stirling is the fifth highest run-scorer in men’s T20I history and has an impressive record in the format.
Compared to the squad from 18 months ago, three new players were added to the squad:
- Ross Adair: An attacking batsman and the older brother of seamer Mark Adair.
- Neil Rock: A wicketkeeper-batsman who serves as a replacement for Lorcan Tucker.
- Ben White: A leg-spinner who strengthens the bowling attack.
These inclusions come at the expense of Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Conor Olphert and Simi Singh, who miss out on selection for the World Cup.
Balancing act: IPL obligations vs. national duty
While the core of the side remains consistent, fast bowler Josh Little is a notable absentee. Little, who impressed with a four-wicket haul in his first IPL appearance this season, was allowed to prioritize his commitments to the Gujarat Titans until their final group stage match on May 16. The decision echoes a similar situation last year when Little left the IPL mid-tournament to represent Ireland in a crucial ODI series against Bangladesh during World Cup qualifiers.
Intensive preparation is ahead
Head coach Heinrich Malan acknowledged the strategic decision regarding Little and emphasized the importance of the upcoming T20I matches:
“We have been gradually developing and testing the squad over the last 18 months or so,” Malan said. “The skills we need to cover are there, even if we let Josh in [Little] will continue in the IPL until his team finishes their campaign, so he is likely to join us before the big tournament.”
“We have an intensive block of T20 cricket ahead of us this month ahead of the T20 World Cup – we have seven games in 15 days in preparation for the tournament. However, we will not look at these seven games as warm-ups, our goal will be to win as many of these games as possible.”
Ireland will open their T20 World Cup campaign against India on June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium near New York City. They will then face Canada, the USA and Pakistan in the group stage.
Ireland squad for Pakistan T20Is, Netherlands Tri-Series and T20 World Cup: Paul Stirling (lead), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andy Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little*, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock (week), Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (week), Ben White, Craig Young.
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