Dublin, May 22 (IANS) Cricket Ireland has announced a squad led by Andrew Balbirnie to take the field when they host New Zealand for a one-off Test match at Stormont, Belfast, from May 27 to 30. Balbirnie is all set to lead the side for the 10th time in the longer format.

Ireland have also confirmed the absence of Paul Stirling, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little, Gavin Hoey, and Jordan Neill, who are all ruled out due to injury. Hoey is sidelined due to a side strain, while Stirling is nursing a calf injury.

McCarthy is ruled out until 2027 following an ACL tear, while Neill is recovering from a shoulder muscle injury, and Campher is yet to resume bowling. Four players – Jake Egan, Tom Mayes, Liam McCarthy, and Reuben Wilson – are in line to make their Test debuts if selected in the playing eleven.

This will be Ireland’s 13th Test overall and their first against New Zealand. Ireland have won three Tests to date, including its first Test at Stormont in 2024 against Zimbabwe. Balbirnie is the only player to feature in all 12 Irish Tests so far, but he will be leading a severely depleted squad against the Blackcaps, who won the 2021 World Test Championship.

After the Test against New Zealand, Ireland will host reigning Men’s T20 World Cup winners India for two T20Is in Stormont, Belfast, on June 26 and 28. It is followed by them hosting Afghanistan for five ODIs from August 5-14 in Bready and Stormont, Belfast.

After this, Ireland will first travel to Nepal for a white‑ball series under a five‑year strategic partnership, before heading to the UAE for a warm‑weather training camp and a white‑ball series against the hosts, with Irish players also set to feature in the ILT20 as part of a five‑year agreement with the Emirates Cricket Board.

In January 2027, Ireland will tour Pakistan for the first time for a multi‑format series, with the possibility of a third member nation being added to the programme, before taking on Afghanistan in a multi‑format series in the UAE.

Ireland squad: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Cade Carmichael, Stephen Doheny, Jake Egan, Matthew Humphreys, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, Liam McCarthy, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Reuben Wilson, Craig Young

–IANS

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