Ireland announce 14-man squad for T20I series against Afghanistan in India

Cricket Ireland today announced the 14-player squad that will travel to India to play a three-match men’s T20 International series against Afghanistan. The fixtures will be played at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh in India. The three-match series will commence on March 6 with the other two games set to be played on March 8 and 10.

The only change from the T20I squad that travelled to the Caribbean in January is Shane Getkate coming in for Mark Adair. Adair has been left out of the squad to work on his fitness and conditioning, as well as to manage an ongoing ankle injury.

Chairman of selectors Andrew White happy with the squad picked

Andrew White, Chair of National Men’s Selectors, was happy with the squad picked for the series. He also praised the players for playing against the West Indies in the recent T20I series and hoped that the team gets settled by the time the T20 World Cup gets underway later this year.

“With the T20 World Cup approaching in October, the Selectors are looking to provide an opportunity for players to test themselves in various conditions, while [Head Coach] Graham Ford searches for the right combinations and tactics that we will take into the World Cup.”

“The squad that performed so well in the recent West Indies series will get another opportunity to show what they can offer, against familiar but formidable opponents in this format of the game.”

“While it is unfortunate Mark Adair will not be travelling, this opens up an opportunity for Shane Getkate, who missed out on the Caribbean tour.”

“We are confident that we have selected a well-balanced side, but we will be looking for greater consistency as the year progresses. The last tour gave us an insight into this Irish side’s potential – by beating the World Champions in their own backyard, but there is no doubt the players will be keen to show those performances on a more regular basis,” he said.

Ireland’s T20I squad: Andrew Balbirnie (Captain), Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Shane Getkate, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.