Ireland squad for T20 World Cup 2022: Balbirnie to lead 15-member team

Off-spinner Andy McBrine was dropped from the squad while Simi Singh was drafted into the side that will be captained by Balbirnie which has a good mix of experience and youth.

Andrew Balbirnie in action. (File Photo) | Photo Credit: PTI

Andrew Balbirnie will lead a 15-member squad as Ireland announced its contingent for the upcoming T20 World Cup on Tuesday.

Off-spinner Andy McBrine was dropped from the squad while Simi Singh was drafted into the side that will be captained by Balbirnie which has a good mix of experience and youth.

Opener Paul Stirling, all-rounder George Dockrell and Balbirnie provide the experience in the 15-member squad.

Ireland T20 World Cup Squad

Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Conor Olphert, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.

“It’s an exciting time for Irish cricket as we embark on another major global tournament. Over the last year we have been building a solid core squad, while creating more depth in our T20 cricket. I think fans have started to see the positive strides the players have been making in this format – especially with the series win over Afghanistan - and we hope we can take this momentum into the tournament in Australia," said Andrew White, Chair of national men’s selectors.

"One of the most considered decisions we had to make was around our spin bowling options. With George Dockrell and Gareth Delany both having an impact this summer and the variation they bring to the attack, it came down to making a choice between Simi Singh and Andy McBrine. Andy can feel very unfortunate to have missed out this time, but we believe Simi offers more variation on Australian wickets with his ability to take the ball away from both right and left handers," he added.