Ireland name squad for World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe

Ireland have named a 15-man squad for the upcoming 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe.

Ireland, who will be captained by Andrew Balbirnie, have been drawn in Group B, alongside Oman, Sri Lanka, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates.

Stephen Doheny is a notable absentee from the squad, who will vie for one of just two places up for grabs at the 10-team qualifier for the global showpiece in India at the end of the year.

National men's selector Andrew White said: "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.

"But before we look too far ahead, we have to start well and we’ve put together what we think is our best squad to meet that challenge.

"With a seam attack of Adair, Little, Young, McCarthy, Hume and Campher, we feel we’re heading towards our best attack once more, while PJ Moor’s experience in Zimbabwean conditions and his versatility batting anywhere from one to seven gives us great cover.

"Unfortunately, hard decisions had to be made, and Stephen Doheny misses out on this trip. Stephen is a player we admire and want to continue to invest in, 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."

Meanwhile, uncapped seamer Matthew Foster has been called up for next week's one-off Test against England at Lord’s following a knee injury setback for Conor Olphert.

Ireland squad

Andrew Balbirnie (captain,