Wicketkeeper Gary Wilson, who missed Ireland’s winter tours for the T20I Quadrangular series in Oman and the tour of India against Afghanistan, has been declared fit for the start of the Ireland home season. He has been included in a 14-man ODI squad for the one-off ODI against England in Malahide on May 3 and the start of the ODI tri-series with West Indies and Bangladesh starting May 5.
Wilson, 33, had to stay home in February and March while receiving medical treatment for a condition that was affecting his vision but has since sufficiently recovered.
The uncapped Lorcan Tucker has been retained in the squad from the series against Afghanistan ahead of Durham-contracted Stuart Poynter, who made 15 runs in four innings against Afghanistan in a series that Ireland drew 2-2 in Dehradun. Tucker, a tall 22-year-old from Dublin, has started off the Irish domestic season in good form, making 81 last week for Leinster in a win over Northern Knights in La Manga. He also excelled on the Ireland Wolves tour of Sri Lanka, scoring a century in Hambantota.
Left-arm spinner James Cameron-Dow and offspinning allrounder Simi Singh have also been dropped from the group that played Afghanistan in March. It means George Dockrell and Andy McBrine are the only specialist slow-bowling options in the squad in home conditions.
Singh made 42 runs in four innings and took three wickets at an average of 47.67. Cameron-Dow took five wickets at 30.20 in the ODIs before making his Test debut in the one-off match to finish the tour, claiming match figures of 3 for 118 in Ireland’s seven-wicket loss. More recently, he returned 0 for 79 for Northern Knights in the loss to Leinster.
Josh Little, who has played 10 T20Is for Ireland, has been called up as Ireland selectors have opted for more seam options in home conditions. The 19-year-old left-arm pacer has impressed with his variations at the death in particular, and joins an attack led by veterans Tim Murtagh, Boyd Rankin, Barry McCarthy and allrounder Stuart Thompson.
“Of those emerging players, we have been delighted to watch the continued improvement of Josh Little and Lorcan Tucker – both of whom will now be in the running to make their debuts in one-day international cricket,” Cricket Ireland selection chairman Andrew White said. “Josh gives us that left-arm pace variation and he has continued to impress with some consistent performances – we believe he can transfer his T20 skills into the one-day arena.
“As for Lorcan, fans of Irish cricket have seen some stellar performances by him over the first few months of the year, most notably in Sri Lanka and La Manga. While he has been on our radar and around the senior squad in recent times, we’ve started to see greater confidence and consistency in his approach, and he is definitely one of those putting his hand up at the moment.”
Cricket Ireland has announced that the squad for the remainder of the tri-series will be announced at a later date to give members of the Ireland Wolves squad a chance to press for selection when they take on Bangladesh on May 5, the same date as Ireland’s first ODI of the tri-series against West Indies.
Squad: William Porterfield (capt), Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Gary Wilson (wk)
Source: ESPN Crickinfo