Ireland has finally announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifiers tournament happening in Zimbabwe. The qualifier round will begin on June 18 and the ten teams will be competing for two places including the famous teams West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Ireland Team Captain- Andrew Balbirnie
Content Summary
A name known to many, Andrew Balbirine is a talented middle-order batsman, who first serve as a caption for the Under 19 Ireland Cricket team. Soon, his hard work paid off as he flourished with the bat even more and gain the captaincy of all formats in 2019. A powerful hitter who keeps the score ticking with his signature shots.
Star Player- Joshua Little
Joshua Little, a bustling left-arm seamer from Dublin is one the key players in the Ireland team. His innings with England in 2019 left the audience in awe of the world’s No-1 team struggling for the ultimate run chase. Being one of the promising Irish players, he tries his best to stop the score of opponent teams.
Back in 2020, he is the key performer in T20 victory against West Indies. He took 3 tickets for 29 scores while defending a target of 208. Moreover, in the ODI match against England, he took five wickets.
Ireland Team Coach – Heinrich Malan
Heinrich Malan, a South African, has taken over as the head coach of the Irish men’s cricket team. He worked for New Zealand for an extended period, particularly as the coach of the Auckland Aces. His focus lies on player development, and he openly advocates for the implementation of sports science.
Malan strives hard to prepare players for the demanding world of international cricket. By assuming this role, Malan aims to shake things up and bring about positive change within the team.
Irelands Road to CWC
The qualifier which will run from June 18 to July 9 will decide the position of two berths for the ODI championship in India this autumn.
Ireland has been placed in Group B along with Sri Lanka, Oman, Scotland and UAE. Andrew Balbirine will lead the Ireland team which is currently ranked no 12 in ICC ODI ranking. Ireland have a range of pace option in the current squad including Josh Little and many more.
Ireland Squad for ICC World Cup Qualifier’s
| Player Name | Role |
| Andre Balbirine | Right-handed batsman |
| Mark Adair | Seam bowling All-rounder |
| Curtis Campher | Seam bowling All-rounder |
| Gareth Delany | Right-handed batsman |
| George Dockrell | Right-handed batsman |
| Graham Hume | Left-handed batsman |
| Josh Little | Left-arm fast bowler |
| Andry McBirne | Left-handed batsman |
| Barry McCarthy | Seam bowler |
| PJ Moor | Wicket keeper batsman |
| Paul Stirling | Opening batsman |
| Harry Tector | All-rounder |
| Lorcan Tucker | Wicket keeper batsman |
| Ben White | Right-handed batsman |
| Craig Young | All-rounder |
Cutthroat Competitions in Qualifiers
The Qualifier round is complex as it brings a lot of anxiety and burden for the team to excel and reach the qualified round. The Irish team is all buckled up in their quest for World Cup qualification after cut-throat competitions.
Andrew White, the Ireland men’s team selector, said: “We’re heading into a big few months and it’s looking at what personnel we need from a tactical point of view, who are in form, and a squad composition that suits the conditions we are likely to face,” For further updates, the match schedule for Ireland’s ODI World Cup Qualifying round is as follows :
Ireland’s Rich Cricket History
Cricket took roots in the country in 1700, but after that, it experienced a continuous up and down to reach a certain level. Talking about International Cricket in Ireland, the team qualified for World Cup first in 2007. The team played 2011 AND 2015 World Cup and the 2010, 2021 and 2014 T20 World Cup competitions. Till date, the team’s best performance is recorded in 2007 World Cup, when the team reached the Super 8 Stage.
| Year | Description |
| 1975 | Was not a member of ICC |
| 1979 | Was not a member of ICC |
| 1983 | Was not a member of ICC |
| 1987 | Was not a member of ICC |
| 1992 | Was not a member of ICC |
| 1996 | Didn’t qualify |
| 1999 | Didn’t qualify |
| 2003 | Didn’t qualify |
| 2007 | Was able to reach the Super 8 stage |
| 2011 | Reached the group stage but got eliminated |
| 2015 | Reached the group stage but got eliminated |
| 2019 | Didn’t qualify |