Ireland have announced their Test and T20I squads for the tour to Bangladesh, with Andrew Balbirnie to lead the red-ball side while Paul Stirling will captain the visitors in T20Is.
Plenty of new faces included in Ireland's Test squad, comprising five uncapped players who could potentially make their debuts in the two-match series. The tourists will have only seven players from the 2023 squad that visited Bangladesh for their only previous Test in the country. Bangladesh won that Test by four wickets in Dhaka.
Four newcomers Cade Carmichael, Liam McCarthy, Jordan Neill, and Stephen Doheny are making their Test squad debuts, while Gavin Hoey, though previously called up, is yet to play a Test match.
Carmichael had suffered from concussion while playing for Instonians in the All-Ireland T20 Cup last month. Earlier in the year Carmichael featured in a four-day game for the Ireland Wolves against Afghanistan A in the UAE, scoring 124 in the first innings. He then went on to make his ODI debut against West Indies scoring 16 and 48.
National Men's selector Andrew White told Cricket Ireland, “It is likely that we will need all of our seamers across the back-to-back Tests. Given the recent number of injuries we have been managing, and the volume of cricket in the coming months, we will need to proactively manage the group in what will undoubtedly be hot and humid conditions. This is only the second time we have played consecutive Tests as part of a tour – it’s a challenge I know the squad will relish as they adapt to Asian conditions.”
Test Squad
Andrew Balbirnie (C), Curtis Campher, Cade Carmichael, Stephen Doheny, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Liam McCarthy, Paul Stirling, Jordan Neil, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young
Senior bowlers return as T20 World Cup 2026 preparations amp up
Mark Adair and Josh Little have been declared fit and will feature only in the T20-leg of the tour. The return of Ireland's two senior bowlers will be a shot in the arm to their T20 World Cup preparations . Both were absent from the recent T20Is against England; Adair had knee surgery in August, while Little was recovering from a side injury.
Tim Tector returns to the squad, with Ben Calitz retaining his place following his recent debut in the England series giving middle order depth.
Most of the T20I squad is experienced, with 11 of the squad members having toured Bangladesh in 2023, emphasizing the importance of building experience and allowing the group to play together as preparation for the upcoming World Cup.
The squad will look forward to this series as a way to accustom themselves to sub-continental conditions ahead of the marquee event to be held in February and March 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
T20I squad
Paul Stirling (C), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young
