Ireland pacer Joshua Little set to miss one-off Test against England
May 06, 2023
Dublin [Ireland], May 6 : Ireland have named a 15-member squad to play England in the one-off Test in the beginning of June, with pacer Joshua Little set to miss out on the match at Lord's due to his white-ball commitments in future.
Andrew Balbirnie will lead a strong Ireland squad that will take on England at Lord's in the one-off Test from June 1.
Senior pacer Craig Young, who has played 90 international white-ball games, was named in the squad and could make his Test debut at Lord's.
Little, who returned from the IPL to play in the Bangladesh series, was rested for the Test considering the white-ball commitments in the near future.
"Although the IPL will have finished, we are very conscious of the need for Josh [Little] to rest, recover and prepare for what will be a busy and important summer for us in white ball cricket," Andrew White, Ireland Men's National Selector, said as quoted by ICC.
Andrew McBrine and George Dockrell are the only spinners while there are a handful of quicks to pick from for the red-ball game.
"There is a familiar shape to the squad but given the progress and performances in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - particularly with the bat - the players acquitted themselves well and can take some level of confidence into Lord's," White said.
"It is great news that we can welcome the likes of Craig Young and Conor Olphert back into the set-up, and the next few weeks will be important for both these lads as they increase their workload ahead of this red-ball series."
This is the second time Ireland will play England in a Test match. In 2019, when these teams met at Lord's, Ireland was sensational with the ball, bowling England out for 85 in the first innings. However, they succumbed to a 143-run loss after being bowled out for 38 in the second innings.
Squad: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Conor Olphert, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.
