Ireland unveil squad for their first-ever Test against Zimbabwe
Ireland have revealed their squad for the historic home Test against Zimbabwe next week.
Ireland’s National Men’s Selector Andrew White confirmed a 14-member squad for the one-off Zimbabwe Test in a press conference on Wednesday, 17 July.
While the squad has a familiar look, spinners Matthew Humphreys and Gavin Hoey are key additions to the red-ball team for the one-off Test match.
“Humphreys made his Test debut in Sri Lanka and found the going difficult against good players of spin out in the subcontinent. He'd admit himself that he went through a period of a loss of form and maybe a loss of confidence, but he's worked extremely hard to come back into the reckoning," White said.
“Hoey is a talented leg spinner, and his ability to spin the ball both ways gives us a strong wicket-taking option. Again, he’s a player that's been on the radar for a while and can play across all three formats."
Earlier this year, in March, Ireland created history when they recorded their maiden victory in the longest format since achieving full Test status, beating Afghanistan in UAE by six wickets.
This will be the first-ever Test to be hosted in the Nothern Ireland and their second home Test in nearly seven years. It will be played at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont in Belfast from 25 to 29 July.
“On the back of our first victory [against Afghanistan], we’re definitely looking to back that up with another win," White added.
"We're not looking to just pick a squad that will compete, we're looking at a squad that can actually win the Test match - by taking 20 wickets and scoring the runs that we need to score arguably in the first innings to set up the victory."
Ireland Test squad: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.