Ireland drops Balbirnie for T20 before South Africa series, new faces in the team – Dainik Savera Times
Dublin : In a bid to revamp their T20I squad, Ireland have decided to drop Test captain Andy Balbirnie for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa, which will be played in Abu Dhabi later this month.
Balbirnie, Ireland’s second-highest run-scorer in T20s, has had a challenging year. He has averaged 24.83 in 12 innings and has a strike rate of just 113.74, which is below his usual standards. His absence from Leinster Lightning’s recent T20 match, in which Lorcan Tucker stepped in as opener, hints that Tucker could possibly replace Balbirnie as a top-order partner with Paul Stirling.
Ireland’s national selector Andrew White explained the reasoning behind this decision, ‘One area we will be looking to address on this tour is the top order in our T20 squad. We are looking to introduce a new dimension, with Andrew Balbirnie sitting out the T20s on this occasion. There are only two T20s in the upcoming series, but they will provide important opportunities as we attempt to raise our performance levels again.’
Despite being left out of the T20 squad, Balbirnie remains an integral part of Ireland’s plans for the future, having been included in the squad for the subsequent three-match ODI series. “Andrew is at the centre of our thoughts and will open the batting in the ODIs,” White reassured fans. In the T20 series, Ireland will play without the services of Josh Little, who is competing in the Caribbean Premier League with the Trinbago Knight Riders. Little and Balbirnie were notable absentees from Ireland’s T20 World Cup squad, which included left-arm spinner Matthew Humphries. This significant change to the squad is necessitated by Ireland’s disappointing performance in the World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage after losing all three of their completed matches and one match being washed out due to rain.
Looking ahead, Ireland is looking at the 2026 and 2027 World Cups as defining moments for its white-ball cricket. White said, ‘2026 and 2027 are defining years for our white-ball teams. Given their timelines, it means we are looking at this upcoming series against South Africa as the start of a new cycle. We need to deepen our pool of international cricketers, and players like Gavin Hoey will come into the international arena with more confidence after being involved in such encounters.
The number of international matches by 2027 is exciting and there will be opportunities for players to make their mark.
Due to Ireland’s disappointing performance in the World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage after losing all three of their completed matches and having one match washed out, this significant squad change has been made.
In a unique twist, Ireland’s matches against South Africa will be held in Abu Dhabi due to ‘infrastructure constraints’ at home. Hopefully, the construction of the new National Stadium will soon resolve these problems. South Africa, on their part, have announced their squads for the series, opting to rest several of their first-choice players, which could give Ireland a chance to try out their new strategies against a slightly changed South African side.
Ireland T20 squad against South Africa: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Curtsey Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Matthew Humphreys, Graham Hume, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
Ireland ODI squad against South Africa: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtsey Campher, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Gavin Hoey, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphries, Andy McBrine, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.
Program: September 27 and 29 – T20
October 2, 4 and 7 – ODIs
