All you need to know: Ireland Wolves in the UAE

Ireland Wolves have arrived in the UAE ahead of their multi-format tour

Key points:

Ireland Wolves have arrived in the UAE ahead of their multi-format tour
The side’s first game is a four-day match against Afghanistan A starting 7 April 2025
The Wolves then compete in a 50-over tri-series with Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A
Opening game of the tri-series is on 13 April 2025 with the final set for 25 April 2025
Attached photo of Gary Wilson for editorial use only (Photo credit: Sportsfile)

ABU DHABI, UAE – Ireland Wolves have arrived in the UAE ahead of their multi-format tour, with the first match taking place against Afghanistan A on 7 April 2025.

The Ireland Wolves programme began in 2017 when a squad of emerging and fringe players were selected to travel to Bangladesh to play a multi-format series. Initially set up as a joint Academy and A Team, the Ireland Wolves has subsequently become the key stepping stone between domestic and international cricket (see scorecards here).

After their opening fixture at Tolerance Oval, Ireland Wolves will then compete in a 50-over tri-series against Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A with those matches to be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. The opening game of this competition takes place on 13 April 2025, with the final set for 25 April 2025.

Gary Wilson, Head Coach with Ireland Wolves, spoke from the team hotel:

“In terms of preparation, we’ve done absolutely everything we can in the short space of time we’ve had. The Provincial Unions have played their part as well, preparing the guys when myself and some of the other coaching staff were away with the senior team in Zimbabwe earlier this year.”

On the conditions to expect:

“In Abu Dhabi we’ll be playing at the Tolerance Oval for the four-day match and then the Sheikh Zayed Stadium for the one-day matches. I’ve been involved in plenty of games at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium where it’s been flat, it’s swung, it’s turned – so we really have to be prepared for all possibilities. Then if you look back to the Men’s Test match against Afghanistan this time last year – the majority of the wickets at Tolerance Oval fell to seam bowling so it does tend to nip a bit there, which is strange for the UAE. It’s slightly later in the year so it might be a bit dryer but we’re well set up for whatever is thrown at us.”

Spin options in the squad:

“We have two front line spinners in Gavin Hoey and Cian Robertson but also Scott MacBeth if it does look like it’s going to spin and we’ve five front bowlers and plenty of batting. Undoubtedly I think we do have the next best players in Ireland on the trip, save for the guys that are in the senior team. So it’s just a really good opportunity and I’m excited to see what we can do.”

On the environment he wants to create:

“It is a bit different and almost a hybrid role because I would see this as an extension of the senior team. I try to get similar messages across to what we would speak about in the senior team, but also try to create an environment in which the players feel they can be vulnerable.

“The players aren’t as experienced as they would be in the senior team. We want them to be able to ask for help and that’s not necessarily the case when you do get into the senior team – you’re probably worried about selection, you might even be worried about what the coach might think of you. So it’s really important to create that environment where yes, it is high performance and we want to set high expectations but we also want the players to feel like they can ask for help. Ultimately, the reason for Wolves trips is because we want to assess players to see how ready they are to go and play international cricket. There will be different players at different stages of development on this trip and I guess it’s just about trying to prepare them as best as possible for that next step”.

FIXTURES

The fixtures are:

7-10 April 2025: Afghanistan A v Ireland Wolves – four-day match (10:00AM – Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi)
13 April 2025: Sri Lanka A v Ireland Wolves – one-day match (10:00AM – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi)
17 April 2025: Afghanistan A v Ireland Wolves – one-day match (10:00AM – Sheikh Zayed Stadium,Abu Dhabi)
19 April 2025: Sri Lanka A v Ireland Wolves – one-day match (10:00AM – Sheikh Zayed Stadium,Abu Dhabi)
21 April 2025: Afghanistan A v Ireland Wolves – one-day match (10:00AM – Sheikh Zayed Stadium,Abu Dhabi)
25 April 2025: Tri-Series Final – one-day match (10:00AM – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi)

[Times local to the venue]

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

WATCH

A livestream will be available for the One-Day match tri-series.

IRELAND WOLVES SQUAD

Gavin Hoey (c) (Pembroke / Leinster Lightning)
Ross Adair (Lisburn / Northern Knights)
Ben Calitz (Muckamore / Northern Knights)
Cade Carmichael (Instonians / Northern Knights)
Chris Defreitas (Balbriggan / Leinster Lightning)
Stephen Doheny (Merrion / North West Warriors)
Matthew Foster (CSNI / Northern Knights)
Fionn Hand (Clontarf / Leinster Lightning)
Scott Macbeth (Bready / North West Warriors)
Tom Mayes (Waringstown / Northern Knights)
Liam McCarthy (Railway Union / Munster Reds)
Jordan Neill (CSNI / Munster Reds)
Cian Robertson (Instonians / Northern Knights)
Morgan Topping (Waringstown / Northern Knights)
Sam Topping (Waringstown / Northern Knights)
Coaches and support staff: Gary Wilson (Head Coach), Chris Brown (Assistant Coach), Mark Rausa (Physiotherapist), Stuart Thompson (Strength & Conditioning), Scott Irvine (Performance Analyst), Chris Siddell (Team Manager)

POINTS OF INTEREST

Ireland Wolves last toured Nepal in 2024 where they played 50 over and T20 matches against Nepal and Nepal A.
The Wolves set-up has seen the emergence of senior internationals such as Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker and Josh Little.
Ross Adair has recovered from injury which caused him to miss Ireland Men’s T20I series away against Zimbabwe Men earlier this year.
Liam McCarthy also returns from injury which ruled him out of consideration for the Ireland Men’s white-ball squads selected for series against South Africa Men last year.
Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi is where Ireland Men secured their first ever test win in 2024 against Afghanistan Men.