Andrew Balbirnie named captain of Ireland's training squad for England ODIs

Image Credits: Twitter/@Irelandcricket

Andrew Balbirnie has been named as the captain of the 21-member Ireland group that will train behind-closed-doors in Southampton ahead of the upcoming three-match ODI series against England.

Meanwhile, Paul Stirling has been appointed as Balbirnie's deputy.

To comply with the coronavirus protocols, this expanded training group will depart for Southampton on a special charter flight from Dublin. The players will then be transported to the hotel on the Ageas Bowl grounds in bio-secure buses.

A 14-member squad will be selected from this training group for the England ODIs, while seven more players will be named as cover.

Reflecting on the training squad, national selector Andrew White said that some of the players have been selected to help the Ireland batsmen prepare for the type of opposition they will be facing.

"The squad selected covers all eventualities – we have picked players that are in obvious contention to play, but also players that will help our batters prepare for the type of opposition we’ll be facing," Cricket Ireland press release quoted White as saying. 

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mark Adair has been recalled in the ODI squad after recovering fully from an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, bowler David Delany has not been considered for selection after remaining out of action since October 2019 due to a surgery and subsequent coronavirus lockdown.

"David Delany was not considered for selection this time. As a result of his previous surgery, and the subsequent extended lockdown period, we were not fully confident that he has had the time to complete the necessary amount of preparation in order to safely play in these matches," White stated.

England and Ireland are slated to play the three-match ODI series from July 30.The series will not only mark the return of international cricket for Ireland after the pandemic-enforced break, but also the beginning of their World Cup Super League campaign.

The full Ireland training group is as follows:

Andrew Balbirnie (c), Paul Stirling (vc), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Peter Chase, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Jonathan Garth, Tyrone Kane, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Kevin O'Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.