Dublin, Oct 9 (IANS) The Ireland men’s cricket team will play five ODIs against Namibia in Windhoek from October 22 to November 1, said Cricket Ireland while announcing its extensive winter schedule on Friday.

Following the senior team’s assignment in Namibia, the Ireland ‘A’ side, called as Ireland Wolves, will head to Zimbabwe for a tour featuring two four-day matches and five one-day fixtures against Zimbabwe A from November 6 to 28.

Paul Stirling will lead a 16-member ODI squad in Namibia, with Lorcan Tucker serving as vice-captain. Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys will captain the Ireland Wolves across both formats in Zimbabwe.

Nine players selected for the senior series will also feature on the Wolves tour, while six squad members will later head to the UAE for the International League T20 (ILT20). Senior pacer Mark Adair has been included in the Wolves’ red-ball squad to provide leadership to the young seam attack.

Cricket Ireland’s Director of High Performance, Graeme West, said the long-term importance of these winter tours is huge given that Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa will co-host the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the qualifying tournament.

West noted that playing on turf wickets in warmer conditions offers crucial exposure “The squads selected for the senior men’s and Wolves’ tours feature the best of Irish men’s current and emerging talent, and the chance for such a large cohort of players getting away during the winter months to play outdoors on grass in warmer conditions is a welcome one.

“With Namibia and Zimbabwe hosting the ICC Cricket World Cup and Qualification events in 2027 alongside South Africa, the tours provide great opportunities for our players to familiarise themselves with the conditions and some of their potential opponents.

“Regarding the Wolves tour, Zimbabwe are always keen to engage in the longer format and the two back-to-back first-class matches will test our physical capacity as much as our technical skills,” he said in a statement.

Additionally, Ireland’s developmental pathway will see the Under-19 men’s squad play four 50-over games in South Africa starting from October 12, while the Under-19 women’s team will feature in four T20s against Namibia’s Capricorn Eagles from October 25.

Squads:

Ireland Senior Men (Namibia ODI trip): Paul Stirling (c), Lorcan Tucker (vc), Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Cade Carmichael, George Dockrell, Gavin Hoey, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Liam McCarthy, Byron McDonough, Jai Moondra, Jordan Neill, Harry Tector.

Ireland Wolves Red-Ball (Zimbabwe tour): Matthew Humphreys (c), Mark Adair, Ben Calitz, Cade Carmichael, Chris Defreitas, Stephen Doheny, Jake Egan, Gavin Hoey, Matthew Hollard, Liam McCarthy, Byron McDonough, Jai Moondra, Jordan Neill, Tim Tector, Reuben Wilson.

Ireland Wolves White-Ball (Zimbabwe tour): Matthew Humphreys (c), Ben Calitz, Cade Carmichael, Chris Defreitas, David Delany, Gareth Delany, Stephen Doheny, Gavin Hoey, Matthew Hollard, Josh Little, Liam McCarthy, Byron McDonough, Jai Moondra, Jordan Neill, Tim Tector.

–IANS

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