Giant-killers Ireland aim to pivot from bridesmaids to contenders

Snapshot

Ireland have been perennial underachievers in the T20 World Cup, apart from 2022, with only seven wins across 28 matches in the mega event. Their poor form from the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup continued for most of the current cycle until they beat Italy and UAE recently. They registered only six wins in 16 matches with eight losses during this cycle.

Despite the poor form, Ireland still bring a settled core of players who have shared the dressing room for a number of years along with an exciting crop of youngsters, who will have the opportunity to shine on the big stage. And what better a stage to correct their recent T20I slump than with the entire world watching?

The squad, and what it tells us

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 (vc), Ben White, Craig Young

Ireland's squad of 15 consists of 12 members who played in the last T20 World Cup in 2024, indicating stability and continuity amongst their ranks. Two 23-year-olds in Matthew Humphreys and Ben Calitz are the new additions to the squad along with 22-year-old Tim Tector.

Captain Paul Stirling, Ross Adair, Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector will need to play significant roles with the bat while Curtis Campher and George Dockrell will be heavily relied upon for their all-round capabilities. With their games in Sri Lanka, their bowling could see three spinners play including Dockrell, with Ben White and the exciting Humphreys in with a shout.

Joshua Little leads the pace attack alongside Mark Adair while the likes of Craig Young and Barry McCarthy might be rotated depending on the conditions on offer. Andy Balbirnie misses out from the squad, having not played a T20I since the last World Cup.

The road to the World Cup

In the cycle post the mega event in the USA and West Indies, Ireland did not win a single T20I series until they beat Italy and United Arab Emirates last month. Outside a 1-1 series draw to South Africa in late 2024, they lost to Zimbabwe and Bangladesh away and the West Indies and England at home. Rain also washed out three of their fixtures at home.

Last five completed T20Is:W-W-L-W-W (latest)

The way they play

Ireland play a balanced brand of cricket, trying to maximise scoring opportunities at every given time. They don't have the biggest of hitters and they aren't built to play that way either. They average 24.69 per wicket and have been scoring at 8.42 runs an over in this cycle.

Who can bend a match in 10 balls

Ross Adair can definitely pack a punch with the bat. Since July 2024, he has scored 657 runs at a strike-rate of 160.63 and has two centuries to his name across 23 T20s he has played.

With the ball, left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys is an exciting prospect. In this cycle, he has picked up 20 wickets in 14 games in T20Is at an excellent economy rate of 6.6. And if the conditions on offer in Sri Lanka are slow and tricky, Humphreys could be a game-changer for the Irish.

Scheduling

Ireland play their first three games in Colombo which should allow them to get used to conditions and also reduces travel time and aids recovery. They have two afternoon games (3PM), one day game (11AM) and their only evening game (7PM) is their opening match against hosts Sri Lanka with a two-day break between each game, allowing time for course correction during the campaign.

Banana-peel fixture

The match against Sri Lanka could prove tricky. The T20 World Cup returns to the Island nation after 14 years and a heartbreaking final in 2012, and with a raucous crowd behind the co-hosts, Ireland could be in for a tough battle.

What a good World Cup looks like

Ireland have always been high on promise but results have been tough to come by. With Sri Lanka and Australia being the favourites to progress from Group B, they would need to upset one of the two sides for any hope of qualifying to the next stage. Wins against Zimbabwe and Oman, along with a victory against one of the favourites could pave the way for the Irish to reach the Super 8, which could be a success story for them as they attempt to rectify their poor T20 World Cup record.