Ireland cricket team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Ireland women's cricket team.

Ireland
Nickname(s)Green and Whites
AssociationCricket Ireland
Personnel
Test captainAndrew Balbirnie
One Day captainPaul Stirling
T20I captainPaul Stirling
CoachHeinrich Malan
History
Test status acquired2017
International Cricket Council
ICC statusAssociate Member (1993)
Full Member (2017)
ICC regionECC
ICC Rankings Current[3] Best-ever
Test 10th 10th (28 July 2024)
ODI 11th 10th (23 April 2007)[1]
T20I 11th 8th (31 March 2012)[2]
Tests
First Testv.  Pakistan at The Village, Malahide; 11–15 May 2018
Last Testv.  Zimbabwe at Stormont, Belfast; 25–28 July 2024
Tests Played Won/Lost
Total[4] 9 2/7
(0 draws)
This year[5] 2 2/0
(0 draws)
One Day Internationals
First ODIv.  England at Stormont, Belfast; 13 June 2006
Last ODIv.  South Africa at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi; 7 October 2024
ODIs Played Won/Lost
Total[6] 204 81/105
(3 ties, 15 no results)
This year[7] 5 1/4
(0 ties, 0 no results)
World Cup appearances3 (first in 2007)
Best resultSuper 8 (2007)
World Cup Qualifier appearances7 (first in 1994)
Best resultChampions (2009)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20Iv.  Scotland at Stormont, Belfast; 2 August 2008
Last T20Iv.  South Africa at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi; 29 September 2024
T20Is Played Won/Lost
Total[8] 171 72/90
(2 ties, 7 no results)
This year[9] 14 6/8
(0 ties, 0 no results)
T20 World Cup appearances8 (first in 2009)
Best resultSuper 8 (2009)
T20 World Cup Qualifier appearances5[a] (first in 2008)
Best resultChampions (2008, 2012, 2013)

Test kit

ODI kit

T20I kit

As of 7 October 2024

The Ireland men's cricket team represents all of Ireland in international cricket. The Irish Cricket Union, operating under the brand Cricket Ireland, is the sport's governing body in Ireland, and they organise the international team. The team have a number of home grounds, including Malahide in County Dublin, Stormont, Belfast, Bready in the north-west and Clontarf in Dublin city. A further ground is planned for the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Dublin for 2030.[10] Due to the short season allowed by the Irish climate, and lack of large scale facilities, Ireland also occasionally play 'home matches' in venues in England and further abroad.

Ireland's men participate in all three major forms of the international game, Test, One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. They are the 11th Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the second Full Member from Europe, having been awarded Test status, along with Afghanistan, on 22 June 2017.[11][12][13][14] Ireland and Afghanistan are the most recently appointed Test-playing nations.

Modern Cricket was introduced to Ireland in the 19th century, though cricket may have partly evolved from earlier Gaelic games invented in Ireland.[15][16][17][18] The first match played by an Ireland team was in 1855. Ireland toured Canada and the United States in the late 19th century, and occasionally hosted matches against touring sides. Ireland's most significant early international rivalry, with the Scotland national cricket team, was established when the teams first played each other in 1888.[19] Ireland's maiden first-class match was played in 1902.

Ireland were elected to Associate membership of the ICC in 1993, but played their first full ODI in 2006 against England in the build-up to the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, their first successful qualification. At that tournament, a series of eye-catching results against Full Members, including a draw against Zimbabwe, and wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh confirmed Ireland's ODI status after the competition. Since then, they have gone on to play 197 ODIs, resulting in 78 victories, 101 defeats, 15 no results, and 3 ties.[20] Contracts for players were introduced in 2009, marking the transition to becoming a professional team.

Further success in the shortest format meant the Ireland team also qualified for the 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022,[21][22] and 2024[b] World Twenty20 competitions, and have qualified for the future 2026 T20 World Cup by ICC men's T20 world rankings.

Before attaining Test status, Ireland also played first-class international cricket in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, which they have won four times between 2005 and 2013. Due to their successes in the first-class ICC Intercontinental Cup competition, and further high-profile wins at the World Cups of 2011 (against England) and 2015 (against West Indies and Zimbabwe), they were labelled the "leading Associate"[23] and stated their intention to become a full member by 2020. This intention was realised in June 2017, when the ICC unanimously decided to award Ireland and Afghanistan Full Member status, which allows them to participate in Test matches.[24] Ireland's first test was a home fixture at The Village, Malahide between 11-15 May 2018 against Pakistan, and they have played tests somewhat sporadically since. Their first test victory was against fellow new boys Afghanistan in Sharjah on 12 March 2024.

Ireland remain the only test playing nation, where the women's team have played a test match before the men's team.[25] Ireland was a women's test nation seventeen years before the men, playing their only test also against Pakistan.

  1. ^ "Ireland 10th in ODI rankings". Dawn. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Reliance ICC Rankings – ICC Team Rankings, ICC Test Rankings, ICC ODI Rankings". Icc-cricket.yahoo.net. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  3. ^ "ICC Rankings". International Cricket Council.
  4. ^ "Test matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  5. ^ "Test matches - 2024 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  6. ^ "ODI matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  7. ^ "ODI matches - 2024 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  8. ^ "T20I matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  9. ^ "T20I matches - 2024 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  10. ^ "Irish cricket to get permanent stadium on Sport Ireland campus at Abbotstown". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Ireland awarded Test status after 10-year quest". Rte.ie. 22 June 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  12. ^ "Afghanistan, Ireland get Test status". Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Ireland and Afghanistan granted Test status after becoming 11th and 12th full ICC members". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  14. ^ "Ireland & Afghanistan awarded Test status by International Cricket Council". BBC Sport. 22 June 2017. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  15. ^ "New documentary offers fascinating insight into Irish cricket history". Irish Times. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  16. ^ Rouse, Paul. "Paul Rouse's incredible history of cricket in Ireland". YouTube. OffThe Ball. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  17. ^ "BRIEF HISTORY OF IRISH CRICKET". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  18. ^ Fitzgerald, Al. "Cricket on solid local footing". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Ireland and Scotland lock horns with one eye on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015". Cricket Ireland. 7 September 2014. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  20. ^ Records / One-Day Internationals / Team records / Results summary, ESPN Cricinfo, archived from the original on 4 June 2015, retrieved 2 December 2015
  21. ^ "Ireland, UAE qualify for T20 World Cup". Business Recorder. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  22. ^ "Qualifier A: UAE, Ireland qualify for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022". ICC Cricket. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  23. ^ Martin Williamson (17 October 2008), Zimbabwe should avoid another banana skin, Cricinfo, archived from the original on 18 October 2008, retrieved 13 November 2008
  24. ^ Hoult, Nick (22 June 2017). "Ireland and Afghanistan awarded test cricket status". The Telegraph. Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  25. ^ Netherlands are a test nation in the women's game, but not yet in the men's. In the event Netherlands achieve full member status, they would, upon the men's team's first test, join Ireland in this category.


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