Ireland T20 Squad | Ireland Men’s Cricket Team: Ireland Cricket Team in 2024

The T20 cricket team of Ireland has undergone a significant transformation from its humble beginnings on the global stage to become a perennial force in the game. Since their first match in 2005, Ireland has been able to lay down a solid foundation as shown by their remarkable consistency in qualifying for every T20 World Cup since 2009 and winning big against established cricket-playing nations such as India, South Africa and England. The country had reached the peak of its glory when it rose to six positions at times during 2019 indicating that they were constantly improving and competing. Having long-term goals of becoming one of the top-ranked T20 sides, Ireland’s immediate goals include performing well in bilateral series’ while also aiming for a place among the Super 12 at next year’s World Cup. Their approach is also based on investing in young talents, developing a winning mentality among them, focusing on “batting depth” which involves getting runs throughout the batting order and “death bowling” specifically practiced for the last few overs of an inning. These players are guided by veteran batsmen like Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien and George Dockrell who offer power-hitting abilities as well as an array of bowling options including spinners. In this connection, Ireland has entered into an incredibly tough group stage with opponents like India and Pakistan where history shows that it could upset even some great teams indeed heading into the 2024 World Cup T20. Fans are excited about how much more this team can grow and shine on an international level while playing quality cricket.

Also Read: Australia T20 Cricket Team || Bangladesh T20 Cricket Team || Afghanistan T20 Cricket Team

Ireland T20 Cricket Team

Player Name	Speciality	Age
Ross Adair	Top order Batter	29
Andy Balbirnie	Batter	33
Neil Rock	Wicketkeeper Batter	23
Harry Tector	Middle order Batter	24
Lorcan Tucker	Wicketkeeper Batter	27
Paul Stirling	Batting Allrounder	33
Mark Adair	Bowling Allrounder	27
Curtis Campher	All-rounder	24
Gareth Delany	Batting Allrounder	26
George Dockrell	All-rounder	31
Graham Hume	Bowler	33
Josh Little	Bowler	24
Barry McCarthy	Bowler	31
Ben White	Bowler	25
Craig Young	Bowler	33

Ross Adair

Ross Adair is playing a vital role for Ireland’s twenty-over side thanks to his power-hitting right-handed batting style coupled with handy right-arm medium-fast bowling ability. Known for his aggressive batting style and equally competent bowling skills, Adair has emerged as one player expected to be watched closely. Ross Adair seems a very promising prospect in Irish T20 cricket.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	7	32
Runs	143	601
Innings	7	30
Not Out	0	3
Balls Faced	104	405
High Score	65	111
Average	20.42	22.25
Strike Rate	137.5	148.39
Bowling
	T20s
Matches	32
Balls	91
Innings	8
Runs	147
Wickets	4
Average	36.75
Strike Rate	22.7

Andy Balbirnie

Andy Balbirnie happens to be one of the most important players in Ireland’s T20 cricket as he is an aggressive strokemaker. He recently stepped down from captaincy but has been responsible for instilling leadership and batting skills that have seen Ireland emerge as a competitive force in T20 cricket.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	101	155
Runs	2170	3485
Innings	97	149
Not Out	4	9
Balls Faced	1743	2716
High Score	83	99
Average	23.33	24.89
Strike Rate	124.49	128.31

Read More: Sri Lanka T20 Cricket Team || Zimbabwe T20 Cricket Team || India T20 Cricket Team

Neil Rock

Pebbles, whose actual name is Neil Rock, is currently emerging as an exciting talent in Irish T20 cricket. Patrolling the left side of the wicket aggressively, this player also adds keeping abilities to his repertoire. Neil Rock looks set to be a wonderful talent for Irish T20 cricket with a middle-order bat who can keep wickets. His ability to score quickly with the bat and his sharp glovework make him a great asset.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	20	60
Runs	111	804
Innings	13	49
Not Out	1	11
Balls Faced	102	574
High Score	36	79
Average	9.25	21.15
Strike Rate	108.82	140.06

Harry Tector

Harry Tector, bats powerfully on the right side and bowls right-arm medium-fast. Alongside his hitting and bowling prowess, Tector has made some thrilling appearances so far. Therefore, this makes Harry very entertaining to watch as he comes out with his fearsome approach to batting plus ball bowling capabilities. For this reason, he is another big hitter for Ireland who also bowls some handy overs.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	70	116
Runs	1243	2133
Innings	64	108
Not Out	12	21
Balls Faced	1026	1721
High Score	64	91
Average	23.9	24.51
Strike Rate	121.15	123.93
Bowling
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	70	116
Balls	132	462
Innings	8	30
Runs	134	538
Wickets	7	23
Average	19.14	23.39
Strike Rate	18.8	20

Lorcan Tucker

Lorcan Tucker has risen to become one of the indispensable members of the Irish side playing at number six because he combines excellent technique with a safe pair of hands behind stumps. Calmly adjusting to various circumstances while batting represents just one part of Lorcan’s game; it means that valuable experience and stability come into play whenever things start going wrong in our middle order.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	65	116
Runs	1068	1812
Innings	61	104
Not Out	8	18
Balls Faced	883	1425
High Score	94	94
Average	20.15	21.06
Strike Rate	120.95	127.15

Paul Stirling

A right-hand batsman and occasional off-break bowler, Paul Stirling is an explosive opener for Ireland’s T20 cricket team. He is nicknamed “Stirlo” known for his aggressive batting style that decimates the bowling attack at the beginning. As the current captain, his leadership and experience add another dimension to his valuable skill set.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	137	344
Runs	3491	8244
Innings	136	342
Not Out	11	17
Balls Faced	2582	5833
High Score	115	119
Average	27.92	25.36
Strike Rate	135.2	141.33
Bowling
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	137	344
Balls	546	1760
Innings	42	136
Runs	679	2159
Wickets	20	77
Average	33.95	28.03
Strike Rate	27.3	22.8

Mark Adair

Mark Adair, referred to as “Sparky,” is an indispensable member of Ireland’s T20 cricket squad. His forte lies in belligerent fast bowling with an ability to swing the ball both ways and provide variation in Ireland’s attack. When he is on form, he can turn matches around by taking wickets at critical stages.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	77	110
Runs	583	923
Innings	54	81
Not Out	12	13
Balls Faced	480	717
High Score	72	72
Average	13.88	13.57
Strike Rate	121.45	128.73
Bowling
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	77	110
Balls	1637	2292
Innings	77	108
Runs	2099	2902
Wickets	107	146
Average	19.61	19.87
Strike Rate	15.2	15.6

Curtis Campher

Curtis Campher is a young all-rounder with a long way to go, but he has already ingrained himself into the Irish Twenty20 cricket side. Being able to make substantial contributions with bat or ball makes him an extremely resourceful player, this aspect of his play gives the team flexibility and makes it unpredictable.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	47	77
Runs	741	1155
Innings	40	66
Not Out	7	13
Balls Faced	581	858
High Score	72	72
Average	22.45	21.79
Strike Rate	127.53	134.61
Bowling
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	47	77
Balls	607	1076
Innings	37	64
Runs	806	1575
Wickets	27	56
Average	29.85	28.12
Strike Rate	22.4	19.2

Gareth Delany

Gareth Delany, meanwhile, bats right-handed and bowls right-arm leg-breaks – a true all-round asset for Ireland’s T20 cricket team. He contributes significantly with both bat and ball, which brings unpredictability and flexibility in Irish tactics.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	67	113
Runs	956	2110
Innings	58	102
Not Out	11	14
Balls Faced	721	1503
High Score	89	89
Average	20.34	23.97
Strike Rate	132.59	140.38
Bowling
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	67	113
Balls	903	1437
Innings	53	86
Runs	1164	1833
Wickets	41	73
Average	28.39	25.1
Strike Rate	22	19.6

George Dockrell

George Dockrell, a dependable and influential left-arm orthodox spinner, is an integral part of Ireland’s T20 cricket team. He is known for bamboozling batsmen with his variations and restricting runs during the middle overs of the innings, thus creating pressure and taking important wickets.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	130	209
Runs	977	1535
Innings	82	115
Not Out	31	44
Balls Faced	757	1134
High Score	58	69
Average	19.15	21.61
Strike Rate	129.06	135.36
Bowling
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	130	209
Balls	1568	2952
Innings	89	162
Runs	1878	3572
Wickets	83	159
Average	22.62	22.46
Strike Rate	18.8	18.5

Graham Hume

Graham Hume, who is emerging as a young cricketer to watch out for in Ireland’s T20I cricket, seems to be carving a niche as an all-rounder. With the potential to become a valuable utility player for Ireland’s T20 team, Graham Hume is one promising young cricketer. He showcased his early skills through impactful bowling in the Zimbabwe match.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	4	40
Runs	21	310
Innings	2	23
Not Out	1	8
Balls Faced	18	242
High Score	20	52
Average	21	20.66
Strike Rate	116.66	128.09
Bowling
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	4	40
Balls	90	840
Innings	4	40
Runs	142	1028
Wickets	4	49
Average	35.5	20.97
Strike Rate	22.5	17.1

Josh Little

A left-arm fast bowler known for his raw pace and accurate deliveries; he is crucial for Ireland’s T20 bowling attack. His swing and pace which unsettles batsmen make him a genuine match-winner by picking up key wickets during power plays or in death.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	66	123
Runs	95	177
Innings	29	48
Not Out	18	32
Balls Faced	122	207
High Score	15	27
Average	8.63	11.06
Strike Rate	77.86	85.5
Bowling
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	66	123
Balls	1460	2553
Innings	65	121
Runs	1814	3244
Wickets	78	145
Average	23.25	22.37
Strike Rate	18.7	17.6

Barry McCarthy

A right-arm medium-fast bowler from Pembroke who contributes significantly as an all-rounder in the Irish national T20 cricket team. By being able to produce wicket-taking abilities like no other person, he has been instrumental in providing much-needed control, pressure and batting prowess for Ireland.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	49	82
Runs	279	405
Innings	31	49
Not Out	11	17
Balls Faced	226	329
High Score	51	51
Average	13.95	12.65
Strike Rate	123.45	23.1
Bowling
	T20s	T20s
Matches	49	82
Balls	1047	1671
Innings	49	80
Runs	1497	2405
Wickets	51	90
Average	29.35	26.72
Strike Rate	20.5	18.5

Ben White

An 18-year-old leg-spinner with huge potential; Ben White has burst into the Irish T20 cricket scene. His ability to turn the ball sharply means that he offers something different from other spinners while also being unpredictable enough when using varied deliveries thereby making him highly useful in any bowling unit. 

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	23	47
Runs	15	47
Innings	7	19
Not Out	6	12
Balls Faced	21	57
High Score	7	12
Average	15	6.71
Strike Rate	71.42	82.45
Bowling
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	23	47
Balls	480	916
Innings	22	46
Runs	595	1162
Wickets	28	63
Average	21.25	18.44
Strike Rate	17.1	14.5

Craig Young

A right-arm fast bowler known for his speed and aggressive style of play; therefore, he is a very crucial element of Ireland’s Twenty-Twenty over cricket ballers’ lineup. Express paces are meant to disturb batsmen some few minutes after they have taken guard hence aiming to take early scalps so that opposing batsmen are destabilised.

Batting
	T20Is	T20s
Matches	59	92
Runs	72	130
Innings	22	35
Not Out	11	15
Balls Faced	99	168
High Score	22	22
Average	6.54	6.5
Strike Rate	72.72	77.38
Bowling
	T20s	T20s
Matches	59	92
Balls	1160	1854
Innings	57	90
Runs	1522	2425
Wickets	65	120
Average	23.41	20.2
Strike Rate	17.8	15.4

Ireland T20 Cricket Team Winning Records

Team	Opposition	Span	Total Matches	Won	Lost	No Result
Ireland	South Africa	2021 – 2022	5	0	5	0
Ireland	Afghanistan	2010 – 2024	26	8	18	0
Ireland	Oman	2016 – 2022	6	4	2	0
Ireland	Zimbabwe	2014 – 2023	15	8	7	0
Ireland	Hong Kong	2015 – 2019	4	2	2	0
Ireland	Namibia	2019 – 2021	2	1	1	0
Ireland	New Zealand	2009 – 2022	5	0	5	0
Ireland	England	2010 – 2022	2	1	0	1
Ireland	Nigeria	2019	1	1	0	0
Ireland	Pakistan	2009	1	0	1	0
Ireland	Kenya	2008 – 2012	5	5	0	0
Ireland	Canada	2010 – 2019	4	2	2	0
Ireland	Sri Lanka	2009 – 2022	3	0	3	0
Ireland	Australia	2012 – 2022	2	0	2	0
Ireland	Australia	2023	1	1	0	0
Ireland	Papua New Guinea	2015 – 2016	4	2	2	0
Ireland	Bangladesh	2009 – 2023	8	2	5	1
Ireland	Bahrain	2022	1	1	0	0
Ireland	Italy	2023	1	1	0	0
Ireland	Jersey	2019 – 2023	2	2	0	0
Ireland	Netherlands	2008 – 2021	13	5	7	1
Ireland	Denmark	2023	1	1	0	0
Ireland	West Indies	2010 – 2022	8	3	3	2
Ireland	India	2009 – 2023	7	0	7	0
Ireland	Bermuda	2008	1	1	0	0
Ireland	United States of America	2021	2	1	1	0
Ireland	United Arab Emirates	2014 – 2022	11	4	7	0
Ireland	Nepal	2015 – 2022	3	3		0
Ireland	Scotland	2008 – 2023	15	8	5	2
Ireland	Germany	2022	1	1	0	0

Ireland T20 Cricket Team  World Cup Records

Year	Total Matches	Won	Lost	No Result
2009	5	1	4	0
2010	2	0	1	1
2012 – 2013	2	0	1	1
2013 – 2014	3	2	1	0
2015 – 2016	3	0	2	1
2021 – 2022	3	1	2	0
2022 – 2023	7	3	4	0

Ireland T20 Cricket Team  Coach

The Irish national T20 team, headed by its head coach Heinrich Malan and his dedicated coaching staff, is looking to make an impact at the upcoming 2024 World Cup. 

Heinrich Malan – Head Coach

Joined Cricket Ireland in 2022. He brings eleven years of experience in coaching from South Africa and New Zealand as he was previously a right-hand middle-order batter and medium-fast bowler with first-class experience in South Africa (2005-2009). His expertise has been confirmed by a Level 3 Coaching Certificate obtained from Cricket South Africa, the Assistant Coach role, Fielding Lead for the New Zealand Men’s team, Head Coach of New Zealand A and Batting Coach for the Black Caps.

Gary Wilson – Batting-Wicketkeeping Coach

The former Irish T20I skipper has had a great career playing across 292 games for Ireland before joining Cricket Ireland as a batting-wicketkeeper coach in August 2021. He also led North West Warriors (2021 Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy champions) besides being involved in Derbyshire County Cricket Club as well as Surrey County Cricket Club among other areas.

Ryan Eagleson – National Fast Bowling Coach

Before becoming one of Ireland’s assistant coaches in 2021, Ryan had played sixty-five matches for his nation. Among other things, Ryan Eagleson was also the Irish Under-19 head coach during many U-19 World Cups. He remains one of the very few people to obtain ECB level four qualifications which has ever taken place inside Ireland. Since then he has acted as Performance & Pathway Coach for the National Academy programme since 2009.

Chris Brown – National Spin Bowling Coach 

Chris Brown, a former Lancashire CCC pro, has represented his country as an ECB’s Spin Bowling Consultant, thereby bringing international playing experience and expertise into the team. Previously, he worked with England Young Lions, England & England Lions, Cricket Scotland (ICC T20 World Cups 2021 & 2022), Nottinghamshire CCC and the Zimbabwe National XI. Apart from that, his ECB Level IV coaching qualification and also his involvement in the ECB’s Spin Coaching programs add further value to the card.

Beyond Coaching: The Support Staff

Mark Rausa – Head of Medical Services & Physiotherapy: He is responsible for athlete welfare with over 13 years of working with top athletes such as those at the Welsh Institute of Sport. Before this role, he was Glamorgan Cricket’s Head of Science and Medicine and Lead Physiotherapist.

Brendan Connor – Performance Services Manager/National Lead for Strength & Conditioning: As of 2011, he has been coordinating performance support across Men’s Women’s and Pathway programs. In addition to that he has worked in Elite GAA alongside Ulster University in Strength & Conditioning.

Scott Irvine – Lead Performance Analyst: Scott Irvine was appointed in 2015 to review performance information to enhance the game plan. After graduating from Ulster University sport and Exercise science course he started coaching and doing performance analysis after shifting gears from youth cricketer for Ireland.

Chris Siddell – Team Operations Manager (Men’s): This individual who took up this position in 2015 ensures smooth functions within a team. He earned himself a degree in Sport, Health and Exercise Science along with a Postgrad Secondary Education. Before this job Siddell had been a Physical Education teacher; a coach in different sports as well as a youth development cricket coach.

With a blend of experience, expertise, and a shared vision, Ireland’s coaching staff is well-equipped to guide the team towards their World Cup goals. The emphasis on developing a fighting spirit, changeable strategies and having complete players makes Ireland an interesting team in the world. While they can make it through the knockout stages or cause upsets that no one expected or produce unsung heroes of cricket, Ireland’s 2024 World Cup campaign promises to be exciting.