(Cricket News) The Ireland Men’s squad, consisting of 15 players, departs today for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Their primary objective over the next month is to secure World Cup qualification. The qualifier event, scheduled from 18 June to 9 July 2023, will feature 10 teams competing for two spots in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Speaking before their departure, Ireland leg-spinner Ben White expressed their anticipation for engaging in intense cricket against some of the world’s best teams, including Sri Lanka and West Indies. They aim to perform at their best and secure World Cup qualification, with the ultimate goal of heading to India in October. White also mentioned that the team expects different conditions in Zimbabwe compared to their previous visit during the summer, potentially being less sunny but dry.
While the schedule is demanding, allowing little personal time, the players from Ireland hope to engage in some leisure activities, such as playing Xbox and going on a safari. White revealed that he will be rooming with his Munster Reds teammate, Gareth Delany.
Gareth Delany, sharing his thoughts before Ireland team departure, emphasized the team’s main goal of qualifying for the World Cup. He acknowledged the competitiveness of the tournament but drew confidence from their performances in the World Cup Super League, highlighting a few close matches where they fell short. Delany expressed his excitement for the roller-coaster nature of 50-over cricket, finding it more thrilling than T20 matches. He emphasized the importance of being prepared as squad members for any opportunity to contribute to the team’s success.
The Ireland Men’s squad includes Andrew Balbirnie as captain, with players such as Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, and Paul Stirling among others. Due to Nathan Hauritz’s unavailability, Cobus Pienaar joins the team as a consultant coach to support their preparations for the tournament. The coaching and support staff also include head coach Heinrich Malan, batting and wicket keeping coach Gary Wilson, fast bowling coach Ryan Eagleson, and other professionals in physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, performance analysis, and team operations management.
The qualifier event features two groups, with five teams in each group. Group A consists of Zimbabwe, West Indies, Netherlands, Nepal, and the United States, while Group B includes Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. In the group stage, each team will face the others once, and the top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage.
In the Super Six, teams will play against the sides they haven’t met in the group stage. Points earned in the group stage will be carried over to the Super Six, except for those gained against teams that fail to reach the Super Six. The top two teams from the Super Six stage will compete in the final and secure their place in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
For the first time in this tournament, the Decision Review System (DRS) will be used for all matches from the Super Six stage onwards. The qualifier event marks the culmination of four years of competitive cricket, bringing together teams from the ICC Men’s CWC Super League, ICC Men’s CWC League 2, and the ICC Men’s CWC Qualifier Play-off.
The Ireland Men’s fixtures include warm-up matches against the USA and the Netherlands. Their Group A matches will be against Oman, Scotland, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates. The Super Six matches will commence on 29 June, leading to the final on 9 July, which will determine the qualified teams for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
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