New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): Ben Calitz has earned a maiden call-up in Eire’s T20I squad in what might be a historic second for his crew, with them internet hosting England for a T20I collection for the primary time.
Calitz, 23, has represented Canada on the Below-19 stage earlier than being chosen for the Eire Wolves tour to the UAE in April 2025, as per the ICC web site.
Paul Stirling will lead the 14-member squad, however notable names like Mark Adair, Josh Little, and Fionn Hand, who’re nonetheless working by rehabilitation programmes, will miss the collection on account of harm.
All three matches are set to be performed in Malahide, in what might be an important build-up for the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka subsequent yr.
All-rounders Gareth Delany and Curtis Campher, alongside pacer Craig Younger, who missed out on enjoying the collection towards the West Indies, make a return to the squad.
Opening up on the collection within the context of subsequent yr’s T20 World Cup, Eire Nationwide Males’s Selector, Andrew White, mentioned, ‘Whereas each match towards England is a special day, this collection takes on additional significance given we’re lower than six months out from the following T20 World Cup.’
‘These matches towards England provide us a chance to check ourselves towards one of many world’s finest groups as we construct as much as that match. Because it stands, we’re set to play as many T20I matches within the subsequent 5 months as we now have already performed on this cycle to this point, however we’ll transition to Asian and Center East venues to higher put together the squad for circumstances they are going to doubtless face on the subcontinent,’ he added.
Moreover, sharing particulars relating to the participant accidents, White acknowledged, ‘Whereas it is unlucky that Mark [Adair], Fionn [Hand] and Josh [Little] will not be obtainable, this collection will give a number of different members of the bowling group the prospect to step up and problem for World Cup spots.
‘Whereas we now have glorious cowl on the prime of the order, it’s the center order batting the place we wish to enhance our depth. As a part of this focus, we welcome Ben Calitz into the squad, who provides us a left-handed batting possibility, in addition to wicketkeeping cowl, and Jordan Neill returns as cowl for Mark Adair, as he did within the West Indies ODI collection earlier this summer time earlier than harm minimize his debut brief,’ White concluded.
The 2 sides have solely met twice within the shortest format, most just lately on the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup in 2022, when Eire obtained the higher of England. Previous to their tour of Eire, England is about to play a three-match T20I collection towards South Africa at dwelling, following a win within the last ODI of a three-match collection.
Eire squad for England T20Is: Paul Stirling (captain), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Barry McCarthy, Jordan Neil, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Younger. (ANI)
