Photo Credit: Zimbabwe Cricket
The Ireland Men’s squad has arrived in Edinburgh ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier, which takes place from 20-28 July 2023, and hard-hitting top-order batter Ross Adair is looking forward to the challenge.
Adair, 29, made his international debut in January and has six T20I caps to date, with a highest score of 65 against Zimbabwe.
He said:
“Yea, there’s no doubt the 50-over qualifier was disappointing, but nobody will be more frustrated than the guys themselves. They work incredibly hard, so I know it will annoy them, but luckily there’s a chance straight away to put things right with the T20s. Personally, I can’t wait to get going against Italy tomorrow.
“The Zimbabwe and Bangladesh tours were real eye-openers for me, but what learning experiences they were. I feel very fortunate to have gotten the chance to be on those and I have taken so much on board from them. Things I maybe wouldn’t have thought about before. Playing against some of the best players in the world and seeing them up close and how they go about their work was fascinating.
“It’s a pity we saw the festival at Bready rained off, but the inter-pros as a competition keeps getting better and better every year. And with the international players away for a lot of them this year, it has given a great chance for younger guys to step in and have a go. The Knights have been going really well this year under the watchful eye of Jonty [Simon Johnston] and Buts [Ian Butler], and some the younger Knights have been exceptional – Cade Carmichael and Morgan Topping in particular with the bat, and our bowling unit has been excellent.
“As for my own game, it has come on a lot from three years ago, but even in the last three months it has changed for the better. I work pretty hard at it and I am always keen to listen to minor changes that the coaches think will help me progress, but I don’t like thinking about it too much. Of course, you can be happy with where it is but there are always ways to improve – I just want to be the best version of me, contribute to winning games, for whatever team I am playing for, and enjoying the journey.
“At club level, CIYMS is going well. We lost a few experienced players from last year and naturally disappointed to be out of Irish Senior Cup and NCU Challenge Cup, but we are in the T20 final and sitting top of the league. The NCU Premier League is seriously competitive this year so it will be an interesting run in with everyone seemingly capable of beating anyone so you just never know.”
The Qualifier
The action gets underway at 10.30am (local time) on Thursday 20 July, when Ireland take on Italy at the Goldenacre Cricket Ground.
In the tournament itself, seven teams – Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Jersey, Scotland, and Ireland – will go head-to-head in 21 matches over eight days, in the race for two spots to what will be the biggest ever ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be held in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA) in June 2024.
IRELAND SQUAD
Paul Stirling (Captain), Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Ross Adair, Mark Adair, Theo van Woerkom, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Neil Rock, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young, Graham Hume.
IRELAND’S FIXTURES
• Thursday 20 July: Ireland v Italy (Goldenacre: 10.30am Ireland time)
• Friday 21 July: Ireland v Denmark (Grange Cricket Club: 10.30am Ireland time)
• Sunday 23 July: Ireland v Austria (Grange Cricket Club: 10.30am Ireland time)
• Monday 24 July: Ireland v Jersey (Goldenacre: 3.30pm Ireland time)
• Thursday 27 July: Ireland v Germany (Goldenacre: 10.30am Ireland time)
• Friday 28 July: Ireland v Scotland (Grange Cricket Club: 3.30pm Ireland time)
BROADCAST DETAILS
All matches will be available to watch in Ireland and the UK on ICC.tv
