Ireland cricket team – History, ground, tournaments, squad, staff, and more
Ireland cricket team: In international cricket, the Ireland cricket team stands for the whole country of Ireland. The Irish Cricket Union, which operates as “Cricket Ireland,” is in charge of the sport in Ireland and puts together the international team.
Ireland plays Test, One-Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I) matches, which are the three main types of international cricket. They became Full Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on June 22, 2017, along with Afghanistan. They are the 11th Full Member and the second Full Member from Europe.
Cricket was first played in Ireland in the 1800s. In 1855, an Ireland team played its first game. In the late 1800s, Ireland went on tours of Canada and the United States. They also sometimes hosted matches for other touring teams. The Ireland national cricket team’s biggest international rivalry is with the Scotland national cricket team. This rivalry began in 1888 when the two teams played each other for the first time. The first first-class match for Ireland was played in 1902.
More in Ireland Cricket Team
Ireland became an Associate Member of the ICC in 1993, but they didn’t play their first full One-Day International (ODI) until 2006 against England. This was in preparation for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, which was the first time they qualified. After that tournament, Ireland’s ODI status was confirmed by a string of impressive results against Full Members, such as a draw with Zimbabwe and wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh. Since then, they have played 176 ODIs, with a record of 74 wins, 89 losses, 10 draws, and 3 ties. In 2009, players got contracts, which was the first step toward becoming a professional team.
The Ireland team also qualified for the World Twenty20 in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2021 because they did well in the shorter format. Ireland also qualified for the T20 World Cup in 2022 when they beat Oman in a qualifying match on February 22, 2022.
Before Ireland became a Test nation, they played first-class cricket in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, which they won four times between 2005 and 2013. Due to their success in the first-class ICC Intercontinental Cup and their high-profile wins at the World Cups in 2011 (England) and 2015 (West Indies and Zimbabwe), they were called the “leading Associate” and said they wanted to become a full member by 2020. This plan came true in June 2017, when the ICC voted unanimously to give Ireland and Afghanistan Full Member status, which meant they could play in Test matches.
History
The English brought cricket to Ireland in the early 1800s. They did this in the towns of Kilkenny and Ballinasloe. In the 1830s, the game started to become more popular, and many of the clubs that were started in the next 30 years are still around today. However, Ireland didn’t play first-class cricket again for five years after they toured England in 1902. During those four games, they won one, tied two, and lost one.
After 2005
On June 13, 2006, Ireland played its first ODI against England at Stormont in Belfast. A full house of 7,500 people watched the game. Ireland had never played an entire England team before. Even though Ireland lost by 38 runs, England’s stand-in captain, Andrew Strauss, praised them.
For the 2006 season, the C&G Trophy was changed so that there was a round-robin stage instead of just knock-out matches. Before, Ireland only had one guaranteed game in the tournament. Now, they have more games against English county teams.
At the beginning of 2007, there was almost non-stop cricket in Ireland for over three months. First, they went to Kenya to play in the ICC World Cricket League Division One. After four close losses, they were fifth in the league, and Kenya won the league.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup for 2007–2008 started in June, and Ireland played their first game in August. The team’s season ended in November 2008. Ireland played Namibia in the final after finishing second in the round-robin part of the competition. Ireland beat India by nine wickets and won their third Intercontinental Cup in a row.
After 2010
The 2011 Cricket World Cup was held in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka from February to March. Even though Ireland didn’t make it past the first round, they beat England in a historic game. Ireland beat England by 3 wickets, and Kevin O’Brien made the fastest century in the history of the World Cup by doing it in only 50 balls. In addition, Ireland broke the record for the most successful run chase in the World Cup when they beat England’s total of 327 to win.
In Recent Years
Andrew Balbirnie was named Test and ODI captain in October 2019. One month later, in November, he took over the T20I captaincy from Gary Wilson, making him Ireland’s captain for all formats. At Sabina Park in Jamaica on January 16, 2022, Ireland beat the West Indies by two wickets to win their first away ODI series against a fellow Test nation.
Colors of the Team
Ireland wears cricket whites to test matches. If they want to, they can also wear a green V-neck sweater or vest with the Cricket Ireland logo in the middle. On the right breast of the shirt is the Cricket Ireland logo. The fielders wear a white baseball cap with the Cricket Ireland logo or a navy blue cricket cap.
Ireland’s uniform for limited-overs cricket is emerald green with dark blue and white accents. On the right breast is the Cricket Ireland logo, the sponsor logo is in the middle, and the manufacturer logo is on the left breast. The fielders wear dark blue hats or caps that look like baseball caps.
International grounds
| Ground | Location | Provincial team | Capacity | First Used | Test | ODI | T20I |
| Clontarf Cricket Club Ground (Castle Avenue) | Dublin | Leinster Lightning | 3,200 | 1999 | — | 25 | 1 |
| Civil Service Cricket Club Ground (Stormont) | Belfast | Northern Knights | 7,000 | 2006 | — | 31 | 17 |
| Malahide Cricket Club Ground (The Village) | Malahide | Leinster Lightning | 11,500 | 2013 | 1 | 16 | 13 |
| Bready Cricket Club Ground | Magheramason | North West Warriors | 3,000 | 2015 | — | 1 | 9 |
World Cup record
| World Cup record | |||||||
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | L | T | NR |
| 1975 | Not eligible | ||||||
| 1979 | |||||||
| 1983 | |||||||
| 1987 | |||||||
| 1992 | |||||||
| 1996 | Did Not Qualify | ||||||
| 1999 | |||||||
| 2003 | |||||||
| 2007 | Super 8 | 8/16 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | Group Stage | 11/14 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 9/14 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Did Not Qualify | ||||||
| 2023 | |||||||
| Total | 3/12 | 0 Titles | 22 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
T20 World Cup record
| T20 World Cup record | |||||||
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | L | T | NR |
| 2007 | Did not qualify | ||||||
| 2009 | Super 8 | 8/12 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | Group stage | 9/12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2014 | 13/16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 15/16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1st Round | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Qualified | ||||||
| Total | 6/7 | 0 Titles | 18 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 3 |
Other tournaments
| ICC Trophy / World Cup Qualifier(One day, List A from 2005) | Intercontinental Cup(FC) | ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier(T20I/Twenty20) |
| 1979–1990 inclusive: Ineligible (not an ICC member)1994: Second round1997: 4th place2001: 7th place2005: 2nd place (qualified)2009: Won (qualified)2014: Pre-qualified through ICC WCL Championship2018: 5th place | 2004: First round2005: Won2006–07: Won2007–08: Won2009–10: 4th2011–13: Won2015-17: 2nd | 2009: Won (qualified)2010: 2nd place (qualified)2012: Won (qualified)2013: Won (qualified)2015: 3rd place (qualified)2019: 3rd place (qualified)2022: 2nd place (qualified) |
| ICC 6 Nations Challenge/World Cricket League (ODI) | European Championship (OD/ODI) | Triple Crown(Tournament Defunct) |
| 2000: 3rd place2002: Did not participate2004: Did not participate2007: 5th place (Division One)2010: Won (Division One)2011–13: Won (ICC WCL Championship) | 1996: Won1998: 4th place (Division One)2000: 4th place (Division One)2002: 3rd place (Division One)2004: 2nd place (Division One)2006: Won (Division One)2008: Won (Division One)2010: 2nd place (Division One) as Ireland A | 1993: 2nd place1994: 3rd place1995: 3rd place1996: Won1997: 3rd place1998: 3rd place1999: 4th place2000: 2nd place2001: 4th place |
Current squad
| Name | Age | Batting style | Bowling style | Domestic team | C/G | Forms | S/N | Last ODI | Last T20I |
| Batters | |||||||||
| Andrew Balbirnie | 31 | Right handed | Right arm off break | Leinster Lightning | F/T | ODI, T20I | 63 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Murray Commins | 25 | Left handed | Right arm medium | Munster Reds | R | — | — | — | — |
| William McClintock | 25 | Right handed | Right arm medium | North West Warriors | — | T20I | — | — | 2021 |
| James McCollum | 27 | Right handed | Right arm medium fast | Northern Knights | F/T | — | 7 | 2021 | — |
| Paul Stirling | 31 | Right handed | Right arm off break | Northern Knights | F/T | ODI, T20I | 1 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Harry Tector | 22 | Right handed | Right arm off break | Leinster Lightning | F/T | ODI, T20I | 13 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Wicket keepers | |||||||||
| Stephen Doheny | 23 | Right handed | Right arm off break | North West Warriors | R | — | — | — | — |
| Neil Rock | 21 | Left handed | — | Northern Knights | F/T | ODI, T20I | — | 2022 | 2021 |
| Lorcan Tucker | 25 | Righthanded | — | Leinster Lightning | F/T | ODI, T20I | 3 | 2022 | 2022 |
| All rounders | |||||||||
| Curtis Campher | 23 | Right handed | Right arm medium fast | Munster Reds | F/T | ODI, T20I | 85 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Gareth Delany | 25 | Right handed | Right arm leg break | Munster Reds | F/T | ODI, T20I | 64 | 2022 | 2022 |
| George Dockrell | 30 | Right handed | Slow left arm orthodox | Leinster Lightning | F/T | ODI, T20I | 50 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Shane Getkate | 30 | Right handed | Right arm medium fast | North West Warriors | F/T | ODI, T20I | 58 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Fionn Hand | 24 | Right handed | Right arm medium | Munster Reds | F/T | — | — | — | — |
| Kevin O’Brien | 38 | Right handed | Right arm medium fast | Leinster Lightning | — | ODI, T20I | 22 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Simi Singh | 35 | Right handed | Right arm off break | Leinster Lightning | F/T | ODI, T20I | 21 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Pace bowlers | |||||||||
| Mark Adair | 26 | Right handed | Right arm fast | Northern Knights | F/T | ODI, T20I | 32 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Graham Hume | 31 | Left handed | Right arm fast medium | North West Warriors | F/T | — | — | — | — |
| Josh Little | 22 | Right handed | Left arm fast | Leinster Lightning | F/T | ODI, T20I | 82 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Barry McCarthy | 29 | Right handed | Right arm medium | Leinster Lightning | F/T | ODI, T20I | 60 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Conor Olphert | 25 | Right handed | Right arm fast medium | North West Warriors | E | — | — | — | — |
| Craig Young | 32 | Right handed | Right arm fast medium | North West Warriors | F/T | ODI, T20I | 44 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Spin bowlers | |||||||||
| Andy McBrine | 29 | Left handed | Right arm off break | North West Warriors | F/T | ODI, T20I | 35 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Ben White | 23 | Right handed | Right arm leg break | Northern Knights | F/T | T20I | — | — | 2021 |