Enforced change

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Ireland Men’s paceman Barry McCarthy is returning home from Zimbabwe after sustaining an abdominal muscle injury during the recent Test Match and will miss the white-ball leg of the tour, with Jordan Neill and Fionn Hand being called up as replacements.

McCarthy claimed six wickets and played a key role with the ball in Ireland’s victory over Zimbabwe in the Bulawayo Test, however, picked up an injury during the last innings of the match. He misses both the three-match ODI and three-match T20I series’ starting today in Harare.

18-year-old right-handed top-order batter and seam bowler Jordan Neill – who is currently playing club cricket in South Africa – will fly to Harare today to join the ODI squad. Neill captained the Ireland Under-19s Men’s team last year on a tour to England. While he started bowling off-breaks, Neill switched to seam bowling and has impressed coaches with his consistency and ability to move the ball both ways.

Fionn Hand, 26, will fly out tomorrow and join the T20I squad ahead of that series starting on 22 February. Hand has 15 caps for Ireland to date and was part of the Irish squad for the South Africa series last October.

Andrew White, National Men’s Selector, said:

“We’re very sorry to lose Barry [McCarthy] – he really demonstrated his potency with the ball during the recent Test and has a wicket-taking reputation in the white-ball formats. Saying that, Barry’s misfortune offers Jordan Neill and Fionn Hand both opportunities to impress.

“Jordan is one of those emerging talents we have been tracking closely. He is a skilled top-order bat, and while it’s still early days for his seam bowling, Jordan has demonstrated at Under-19s and inter-provincial level the ability he has. He has been playing cricket in South Africa over the Irish winter, of which we have been actively monitoring his progress. This is an opportunity for Jordan to integrate into the senior squad and, if called upon, we are confident he could do a job for the team in similar conditions to what he has been playing in over recent months.

“Fionn re-joins the T20I squad, of which he was part of against South Africa, and has shown he has the attributes to succeed at this level.”

FIXTURES

14 February 2025: Zimbabwe Men v Ireland Men – 1 st ODI (Harare; 9.30am start)

Zimbabwe Men v Ireland Men – 1 ODI (Harare; 9.30am start) 16 February 2025 : Zimbabwe Men v Ireland Men – 2 nd ODI (Harare; 9.30am start)

: Zimbabwe Men v Ireland Men – 2 ODI (Harare; 9.30am start) 18 February 2025: Zimbabwe Men v Ireland Men – 3rd ODI (Harare; 9.30am start)

NB: Times are local to the venue (Zimbabwe is +2 hours ahead of Ireland)

SQUADS

Ireland ODI squad: Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Jordan Neill, Harry Tector, Morgan Topping, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.

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