Irish limited-overs team for South Africa series
The Irish white-ball squads for the UAE series against South Africa have been announced. Ireland returns to limited-overs cricket following the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Andrew Balbirnie was selected to open the ODI batting instead of the T20I team, a notable move. “We will explore the top order in our T20 team on this tour,” stated Ireland selector Andrew White.
“With Andrew Balbirnie missing the T20Is, we’ll try a new approach. Only two T20Is are scheduled in the series, but they will be crucial as we aim to improve. “Andrew remains very much central to our thoughts and will open the batting in the ODIs.” White said Ireland sees the series as the start of a new cycle with big ICC events in 2026 (Men’s T20 World Cup) and 2027 (Men’s Cricket World Cup). “The next T20 and 50-over World Cups in 2026 and 2027 are crucial for our white-ball squads,” added White. “Given their timeframes, it means we are looking at this upcoming series against South Africa as the start of a new cycle.”
Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Gavin Hoey, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young. Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Matthew Humphreys, Graham Hume, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
