Ireland has announced its squad for the first three ODIs of the upcoming five-match ODI series against Afghanistan. This will be Gary Wilson’s first ODI charge as Ireland head coach. The ODI series will start from August 5, whose matches will be played in Brady and Stormont.
Jay Mundra and 24-year-old fast bowler Byron McDonough have been included in Ireland’s ODI squad for the first time for the upcoming home series against Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Ryan ten Doeschate resigned as India’s assistant coach; KKR ready to make a comeback.
Gary Wilson’s first ODI squad includes three new faces as Ireland prepare to host Afghanistan
India-born left-arm fast bowler Mundra was included in the ODI squad for the first time after his impressive performance against India. Mundra was named Player of the Series for his five-wicket haul and helping Ireland register a historic 2-0 T20 series win over India last month.
McDonough, on the other hand, earned a first-time call-up after helping Leinster Lightning win the Inter-Provincial 50-over Cup title. Apart from Mundra and McDonough, Ben Kallitz has also received his first ODI call-up for the Afghanistan series on home soil. Notably, both Mundhra and Calitz have already represented Ireland in two and 11 T20I matches respectively.
Josh Little among 6 stars will not play in Afghanistan ODI
However, a major blow to the hosts was that their top players including Josh Little, Matt Hollard, Craig Young, Barry McCarthy, Jordan Neal and David Delany were not available for selection for the first three ODIs against Afghanistan. Some of them are recovering from injuries, while some are still completing their fitness recovery process, as shared by Cricket Ireland.
Ireland ODI team: Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Cade Carmichael, George Dockrell, Gavin Hoey, Andrew McBrine, Liam McCarthy, Byron McDonough, Jai Mundra, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker
Gary Wilson excited for first ODI assignment as Ireland head coach
Following the squad announcement, Ireland head coach Gary Wilson said he was excited for the ODI series against Afghanistan and believed many of Ireland’s players had performed well enough to qualify for selection. Meanwhile, Usman Tariq broke his silence after Tim David’s dismissal in The Hundred.
“I’m really looking forward to the series against Afghanistan. It’s our first ODI in 15 months and in the meantime we’ve had a number of players put their hands up for selection, which is a good place to be. We’re leaving out players we feel are good enough for selection, however, we have full confidence in the team we’ve selected,” Gary Wilson said in a Cricket Ireland statement.
Gary Wilson demands fearless for Afghanistan ODI
Wilson also wants his players to show strong fighting spirit on the field and never give up, like successful Irish teams of the past. “There has been a great rivalry between the two teams over the years and I hope that continues during this series as well. We have picked a team that reflects how we want to play,” the coach said.
He said, “We want to play with the conditions in front of us, but ultimately be dynamic and look for opportunities to put pressure on the opposition. With the ball, we want to be constantly looking for wickets and in the field we want to look for opportunities and have the never-say-die attitude that is synonymous with great Irish teams, of which we believe this is one.”
