IPL star Josh Little rested as Ireland name 15-man squad for Lord's test against England

Ireland to face England in a one-off Test at Lord's from June 1, 2023.

Cricket Ireland has today announced a 15-player squad that will travel to England in late May for a three-day first-class fixture against Essex, before the Test Match against England Men from 1-4 June 2023.

Ireland’s busy four-year cricket schedule will start in 2023 with a Test match against England. The new four-year schedule for the Irish squad will begin with a home white-ball series against Bangladesh, followed immediately by a one-off Test match in England in June 2023.

Ireland will play their fourth Test match since making their Test debut against Pakistan in 2018, losing all three matches. They also played against England and Afghanistan in 2019.

The match of Ireland tour of England Only Test 2023 will be played on June 01 to June 04, 2023, at Lord's, London.

Andrew White, Ireland Men’s National Selector, said:

“There is a familiar shape to the squad but given the progress and performances in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – particularly with the bat - the players acquitted themselves well and can take some level of confidence into Lord’s. It is great news that we can welcome the likes of Craig Young and Conor Olphert back into the set-up, and the next few weeks will be important for both these lads as they increase their workload ahead of this red-ball series.

“We have only gone with one frontline spinner with conditions very different than where we have most recently toured, but Andy McBrine clearly demonstrated his all-round talent and also has the experience of playing at Lord’s in 2019.”

Ireland Selector Talks About Josh Little Missing In The Squad

Josh Little became the first Ireland player to participate in the Indian Premier League, as he is part of Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2023. Speaking about his absence from the Test squad, White said:  

“Regarding Josh Little, although the IPL will have finished, we are very conscious of the need for Josh to rest, recover and prepare for what will be a busy and important summer for us in white ball cricket.”

Ireland squad for England tour:

Andrew Balbirnie (Capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Conor Olphert, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.

The fixture schedule is:

26-28 May: Essex Men v Ireland Men – 1st Class Match (Chelmsford)

1-4 June: England Men v Ireland Men – Test Match (Lord’s)