ZIM vs IRE 2022: Ireland batter Paul Stirling and bowler Josh Little are set to miss next month’s T20I series against Zimbabwe. Both the players will not partake in the six-match tour of Zimbabwe starting January 12, 2023. The series will consist of three T20Is, followed by as many ODIs.
Stirling and Little have got the green flag from Cricket Ireland to play in the T20 tournaments including SA20 and International League T20 (ILT20). While Stirling will not be playing the T20I series, he will join the national side for the ODI series between January 18-23, 2023.
“Paul Stirling will feature in the one-day series against Zimbabwe but has been granted approval to miss the T20I series and play in the new International League T20, while Josh Little has been granted approval to miss the T20I series to play in the SA20,” National Selector Andrew White said.
The board has named uncapped batter Stephen Doheny in both ODI and T20I squads. He was also part of Ireland’s squad during the T20 World Cup 2022, but he did not get any games to play.
Leg-spinner Ben White and wicket-keeper batter Neil Rock will be part of the squad. Furthermore, pacer Tyrone Kane also returns to the side after a gap of almost four years. He last played for Ireland in 2019 against Zimbabwe.
Ireland Schedule for 2023
Ireland has a hectic schedule in 2023 which will feature its tours to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They will also face Bangladesh at home the details of which will be revealed by the board later.
On top of that, Ireland has a Test and three ODI matches against England, followed by a European qualifying tournament for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“2023 will be the year when we return to playing all three formats,” White said.
“However, with a T20 World Cup Qualifier in July and a possible 50-over Cricket World Cup in October – if we can qualify – the importance of this white-ball series is obvious. The volume of cricket next year demands that we will need a broader pool of ‘international-ready’ players to meet the challenges ahead, and the Zimbabwe tour will be the start of that process,” White added.
Ireland Squad for Zimbabwe tour:
ODI squad: Andy Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Graham Hume, Tyrone Kane, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker
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