All you need to know: Ireland Under-19s Men in Zimbabwe

Ireland Under-19s Men have arrived in Zimbabwe for their first-ever tour of the African nation

Key points:

Ireland Under-19s Men have arrived in Zimbabwe for their first-ever tour of the African nation
The side play Zimbabwe Under-19s Men in five Youth ODI fixtures starting 3 April 2025
All of the matches will be available to watch via Youtube
Attached photo of Reuben Wilson for editorial use only (Photo credit: Cricket Ireland)

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Ireland Under-19s Men have arrived in Zimbabwe ahead of their five-match youth ODI series against Zimbabwe Under-19s Men which begins 3 April 2025.

The tour, which is a first-ever visit of the African nation by the side, is part of a crucial spell of preparation ahead of the 2026 ICC Under-19s Men’s World Cup which will be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia early next year.

Peter Johnston, Head Coach of the Ireland Under-19s Men’s team, spoke from the team hotel:

“We have formed a great relationship with Zimbabwe over the years and had some great contests and series. I expect this tour will be no different. We will face a really talented and hungry Zimbabwe squad in all departments. On our part, we had a few selection headaches but which is a great place to be in. There is still a long way to go to the ICC Under-19s Men’s World Cup next year and there will be plenty of opportunities between now and then for all of the players to keep raising the bar and pushing.”

On the Ireland Under-19s bowling attack for this tour:

“Having the experience of pacemen Olly Riley and Reuben Wilson from previous Men’s Under-19s World Cup cycles is of huge benefit to the team. We also have Thomas Ford, Ethan Marshal, Adam Lecky and Daniel Murray who all bring different strengths. But it has been very exciting to record their increased bowling speeds as the winter has gone on. In the spin department there’s off-spinner Febin Manoj and leg-spinner Seb Dijkstra who have both taken all of the opportunities provided at different age groups.”

His side’s batting depth:

“Left-hander Rob O’Brien, who has previous experience with Ireland Academy and Ireland Under-19s Men, looks in good touch having come back from Cricket Leinster’s exchange program with St. Stithians in South Africa. James West and Freddie Ogilby at the top of the order are well placed to continue to solidify their important roles at the top of the order. Seb Dijkstra’s batting has come on greatly over the winter and hopefully he can make the most of any opportunity, while Adam Leckey and Daniel Murray are two very exciting dynamic batters for us. In a team with plenty of all-rounders, Seb Yeats is one of the few out-and-out batters in the squad. He has impressed over the winter, too, and gets an opportunity.”

On the conditions they will be expecting:

“With 9.15am starts for each game, we are prepared to exploit movement with the ball if bowling first and also for the challenge that movement may bring if batting first. However, we have trained specifically around this and feel prepared to apply and strive for winning gameplans with bat and ball regardless of the toss.”

FIXTURES

The fixtures are:

3rd April 2025: Ireland U19 Men v Zimbabwe U19 Men – 1st YODI (Harare Sports Club; start 9:15am)
5th April 2025: Ireland U19 Men v Zimbabwe U19 Men – 2nd YODI (Harare Sports Club; start 9:15am)
7th April 2025: Ireland U19 Men v Zimbabwe U19 Men – 3rd YODI (Harare Sports Club; start 9:15am)
10th April 2025: Ireland U19 Men v Zimbabwe U19 Men – 4th YODI (Takashinga; start 9:15am)
12th April 2025: Ireland U19 Men v Zimbabwe U19 Men – 5th YODI (Takashinga; start 9:15am)

[Times local to the venue]

Livescoring will be available from: https://cricketireland.ie/matches/

WATCH

A livestream will be available here.

IRELAND U19 MEN’S SQUAD

Oliver Riley (Pembroke) (captain), Alex Armstrong (CIYMS), Sebastian Dijkstra (Merrion), Thomas Ford (Ireland Academy), Adam Leckey (CSNI), Peter le Roux (Railway Union), Febin Manoj (The Hills), Ethan Marshall (Clontarf), Daniel Murray (Pembroke), Robert O’Brien (Railway Union), Freddie Ogilby (Bready), James West (CSNI) (vice-captain), Reuben Wilson (Clontarf), Sebastian Yeates (CSNI)

Travelling support staff: Peter Johnston (Head Coach), Nigel Jones (Assistant Coach), Albert van der Merwe (Team Manager)

Non-travelling reserves: Charlie Downey (Newbuildings), Brian Dunphy (North County), Samuel Haslett (Bonds Glen), Bruce Whaley (Pembroke)

POINTS OF INTEREST

The 2026 ICC Under-19s Men’s World Cup will take place in Zimbabwe and Namibia early next year.
This trip marks a first-ever tour for Ireland Under-19s Men in the southern African country.
Ireland enjoyed a successful 2024 ICC Under-19s Men’s World Cup where they finished in eighth place to secure automatic qualification for the next tournament.
In the 2024 edition, they notably beat New Zealand Under-19s Men for the first time.
Seamer Reuben Wilson is set to play his third Under-19s Men’s World Cup in 2026.