Zimbabwe hand three debuts as Ireland bowl under cloudy skies – T20 IPL 2024

Toss Ireland choose to bowl

Ireland won the toss and decided to bowl first on return to Test cricket at home after a gap of six years. Zimbabwe’s batters will be tested on a wet Belfast morning with a passing shower turning up about an hour before the toss. There is rain forecast on all five days, more so in the first three.

There were no surprises from Ireland’s selection. Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys‘ inclusion over Theo van Woerkom – who was dropped from the squad – is the only change from their first ever Test win, against Afghanistan in February-March. Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy and Craig Young are the fast bowlers with Curtis Campher in as the batting allrounder.

Zimbabwe – who had 13 of the 15 members in their squad having played ten or fewer Tests – hand debuts to Joylord Gumbie, Brian Bennett and Clive Madande, who will keep wickets. Opener Prince Masvaure makes his Test comeback after two years as does their spearhead pacer, Blessing Muzarabani. Dion Myers, who was Zimbabwe’s highest scorer in the recently concluded T20I series against India, found a place in the top order. Craig Ervine and Sean Williams, who missed that series, are back in the fore.

Also, this Test makes Northern Ireland the 23rd country to host a men’s Test match; the Republic of Ireland was the 22nd in 2018, when Ireland played their first Test against Pakistan in Malahide.

Ireland XI: 1 Peter Moor, 2 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 3 Curtis Campher, 4 Harry Tector, 5 Paul Stirling, 6 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 7 Andy McBrine, 8 Mark Adair, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Craig Young, 11 Matthew Humphreys

Zimbabwe XI: 1 Prince Masvaure, 2 Joylord Gumbie (wk), 3 Dion Myers, 4 Craig Ervine (capt), 5 Sean Williams, 6 Brian Bennett, 7 Clive Madande, 8 Blessing Muzarabani, 9 Richard Ngarava, 10 Tanaka Chivanga , 11 Tendai Chatara

Ekanth is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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