Balbirnie set for captaincy debut as Ireland name squads for West Indies tour
Balbirnie was named in charge of 14-man squads for the two bilateral series, announced on Thursday, 5 December, by Cricket Ireland.
The 28-year-old opening batsman was handed over the mantle last month, initially assuming charge of the Test and ODI teams in the aftermath of the resignation of former captain William Porterfield, before replacing Gary Wilson as leader of the T20 outfit, too, in late November.
“The Caribbean tour will be the start of a quite intensive year for the senior men’s team,” Graham Ford, the head coach, said. “We have tours before the start of the home season, hosting several full members in the summer, commence our participation in the ICC World Cup ODI Super League, including playing an ODI series against England, and then head to a T20 World Cup in October. These matches will be the first under Andrew Balbirnie’s leadership, so will be a great first-up challenge for him and one which I know he is looking forward to.”
Both Porterfield and Wilson remain a part of the squad, however, albeit Porterfield only in ODIs, in keeping with his recent absences from the 20-over outfit. However, there were other changes to both squads. South African-born all-rounder Shane Getkate found himself out of both squads. Getkate received limited opportunities at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 in Dubai, but couldn’t make the most of them, with two matches yielding a return of seven runs and zero wickets. He went at an economy rate of 7.80.
Getkate was one of three changes to the ODI squad, with Tyrone Kane and Tim Murtagh also finding themselves out of the 14-man contingent. In place of the trio came Gareth Delany, Barry McCarthy and Craig Young, while in the T20I squad, Getkate found himself out alongside fast bowler Stuart Thompson, who, too, had endured a poor run at the qualifiers earlier this year, going for 90 runs in his nine overs and returning with a solitary wicket. Josh Little, the Dublin-born all-rounder, was included in their place.
“When you look at the squads selected, the positive for the future is that there is a blend of experience and youth,” Ford said. “While we’ve undergone an evolution in the senior set-up over the last 12 months, I think the squads selected recognise and reward performance, and I’m pleased that the likes of Mark Adair, Gareth Delany and Harry Tector have come into the squad over the last while and look the part. There is a confidence and self-belief around the camp, which comes from recent successes, and we’re looking to build on that in 2020.”
Ireland’s tour of the West Indies begins with a one-day practice match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. The international leg will kick off with the three-match ODI series, starting with the first game on 7 January, before the two teams face each other in as many T20Is. Barbados, Grenada and St Kitts will host the games.
**ODI squad:**Andrew Balbirnie (Captain), Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young
T20I squad: Andrew Balbirnie (Captain), Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.