Lorcan Tucker admitted taking on a shadow England side will "take some adapting" to but the wicketkeeper-batter senses Ireland are up for the challenge.
Joe Root's withdrawal from the group after the series opener at Headingley was washed out means England have none of their Cricket World Cup stars in situ for ODIs at Trent Bridge on Saturday and Bristol on Tuesday.
Up to five players – batters Sam Hain and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, seamer George Scrimshaw and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith – could make their England debuts in Nottingham.
Tucker, though, insisted this does not necessarily mean a dramatically weaker England side, captained by Zak Crawley, as many in the home side’s squad have experience on the T20 franchise circuit.
"The strength in depth of English cricket at the moment is that all these lads are strong faces in franchise cricket all over the world," said Tucker.
"They’re playing great cricket. I’m reasonably familiar with some of them, but some new faces too, so it’ll take some adapting for us as a team, but we’re keen to get out there.
"I’ve played against Kohler-Cadmore before. We had a little meeting to discuss what role he might have in their team.
"I think they’re really strong whatever team they put out."
Tucker, part of the Ireland squad that missed out on a World Cup place in this summer’s qualifier, will resume batting at number five amid speculation he might have been moved as high as three in the order.
Instead, the decision has been taken to shift highly rated all-rounder Curtis Campher up to first drop, with Tucker now intending to iron out any kinks at his game in his usual batting position.
"It’s nice to be involved in any conversations about new roles in our team," added Tucker,
Read more on rte.ie
rte.ie
