Of the 15 players selected for the major event, 12 were part of the Irish squad at the previous edition of the tournament. The squad also features a few new faces, with Tim Tector, Ben Calitz and Matthew Humphreys earning their places after consistent performances at national and international level.
This will be Ireland’s ninth appearance at the Men’s T20 World Cup. Their best performances came in the 2009 and 2022 editions, where they advanced to the second round and recorded memorable wins over former champions West Indies and England. These victories remain some of the most important moments in Ireland’s T20 World Cup history.
Andrew White, the Irish national men’s selector, expressed his optimism ahead of the tournament, stating that the team is aiming to deliver a better and more competitive performance in what promises to be a very challenging competition.
“To say we are really looking forward to this T20 World Cup is an understatement. After a memorable tournament in 2022, we were probably not at our best in 2024 – and we have been waiting ever since to put that right,” White said, as quoted by ICC.
“There is no doubt that we are in a very competitive group, including hosting the tournament, but we have played plenty of these sides recently in previous editions of this tournament and will go into these matches without fear. We have played quite a bit in this part of the world in recent years, so we will be well placed to plan and prepare thoroughly and be ready for the challenge when the time comes,” he added.
Ireland will take on Italy and the United Arab Emirates as part of their preparation ahead of the global tournament. In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, they have been placed in Group B alongside Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman and Zimbabwe. Ireland will start their campaign against Sri Lanka in Colombo on February 8.
Ireland squad for the T20 World Cup:
Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young
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