The return of McCarthy further strengthens the bowling attack of the Andy Balbirnie-led 15-member squad, which also has Mark Adair, Josh Little, Craig Young, Graham Hume and Curtis Campher.
“With a seam attack of Adair, Little, Young, McCarthy, Hume and Campher, we feel we’re heading towards our best attack once more,” Andrew White, Ireland’s National Men’s Selector said. “PJ Moor’s experience in Zimbabwean conditions and his versatility batting anywhere from Nos. 1 to 7 gives us great cover.”
“We’re heading into a big few months and it’s looking at what personnel we need from a tactical point of view, who are in form, and a squad composition that suits the conditions we are likely to face. In the latter stages of the tournament, for example, we are likely to be playing on used pitches, so that’s where we see the value of a Ben White coming to the fore.”
Allrounder Fionn Hand and opening batter Stephen Doheny, both of whom were in the squad for the series against Bangladesh, were left out. Doheny had a sorry run of form with the bat, scoring just 33 runs in the three games in Chelmsford. He played six of his nine ODIs against Bangladesh this year and crossed 30 only once.
“Stephen is a player we admire and want to continue to invest in,” White said. “But we think the time is right for him, just now, to take a step back and work on a few technical aspects of his game at the domestic level.”
Squad: Andrew Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo