Photo Credit: Oisin Keniry
Cricket Ireland has today announced the Ireland Under-19s men’s squad for the ICC World Cup Europe Qualifier – the tournament takes place at the Desert Springs Resort in Spain from the 17– 26 September 2021.
Originally due to be played in Scotland in July, due to the ongoing pandemic the tournament was moved to Spain, with the exact venue recently confirmed (see announcement on Twitter).
The squad will be led by Tim Tector – the third Tector brother to have captained the Ireland men’s Under-19s team after older brothers Jack and Harry.
The squad selection is as follows:
• A 14-player squad has been named for the tournament of which match the day squad will be named each day.
• A 4-player reserve panel (non-travelling) has been named, in the event of injury or other withdrawals.
THE SQUAD
Ireland’s U19 Men’s squad:
Tim Tector (captain) (YMCA), Diarmuid Burke (Malahide), Joshua Cox (Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch), Jack Dickson (Instonians), Liam Doherty (St Andrew’s School. Bloemfontein), Cameron Doak (Lisburn), Jamie Forbes (YMCA), Matthew Humphreys (Lisburn), Philippe le Roux (Railway Union), Scott Macbeth (St Johnston), Nathan McGuire (Rush), Muzamil Sherzad (North Kildare), David Vincent (Clontarf), Luke Whelan (North County).
Non-travelling reserves:
Daniel Forkin (Eglinton), Ryan Hunter (CSNI), Robbie Millar (Merrion), Ewan Wilson (Muckamore).
Ryan Eagleson, Head Coach of Ireland Under-19s, said:
“The last 18 months has been very challenging in terms of getting the players together for training squads. However, over the summer months we managed to play the new Cricket Ireland Future Series, as well as inter-squad matches against the touring Free Foresters. This gave us a chance to look at several players in competitive matches before we travel to Spain for the qualifying tournament.”
“Three players played in the previous Under-19s European qualifying tournament (Tim Tector, Nathan McGuire and Jamie Forbes) and their experience will be vital as we look to qualify for the Under-19s World Cup in the West Indies in January of 2022.”
“An exciting challenge lies ahead and I’m looking forward to watching this group of talented players as they bid for a place on the world stage.”
Albert van der Merwe, National Talent Pathway Manager, said:
“It’s not unique in Irish cricket that we have a real family feel and it will be a special occasion for Tim Tector as he follows in the footsteps of his two older brothers (Jack and Harry) who both lead the Men’s Under-19s team. Sons of former international players Deryck Vincent (David) and Neil Doak (Cameron) are also in the squad, carrying on the family legacy.”
“This squad has been two years in the making, with plenty of planning and challenges in the way. Losing the biggest part of 2020 and a crucial training block in 2021, due to COVID-19, we put together a comprehensive match programme allowing us to look at around 25 players throughout this summer. We did an extensive scouting mission in 2019 and identified two players (Joshua Cox and Liam Doherty) that will add value to our squad. Due to the restrictions on international travel over the last 18 months, it hampered our planning of integrating these two players over the last two domestic seasons. We have followed their progress closely and with their long term future set in Ireland, we are excited about their prospects.”
“This is a tough tournament, with incredibly high stakes and the week normally dishes up close games. With only four teams in the tournament, and a different format than previous years, it should make for some exciting cricket. We are however comfortable with the squad we selected for the specific conditions and their ability to rise to the occasion.”
THE FIXTURES
The schedule for the ICC Men’s Under-19s European World Cup Qualifier is:
• 19 September: Ireland v Netherlands (Group Stage)
• 20 September: Rest day
• 22 September: Ireland v Jersey (Group Stage)
• 23 September: Ireland v Scotland (Group Stage)
• 24 September: Rest day
• 25 September: Final (1st Place v 2nd Place)
The winner of the final goes directly to the ICC Under-19s World Cup in 2022.
