Ireland have named their squad of 15 for the 2015 ICC World Cup which takes place in Australia and New Zealand from next month. William Porterfield will lead the Irish contingent that will travel to Dubai for a training camp and play a tri-series against Afghanistan and Scotland.
Ireland, who will begin their campaign in Nelson on February 16, have named six World Cup rookies in their squad which includes the likes of Peter Chase and Tim Murtagh among those who will have their first taste. Porterfield, himself along with Niall O’Brien, Kevin O’Brien, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Gary Wilson and George Dockrell provide experience for the Irish team which knocked Pakistan out of the World Cup.
“While we may have lost the surprise factor over the years, we’ve certainly gained a lot of respect for our brand of cricket which has been pretty pleasing. There’s a great mix as always in the squad, and the younger guys coming through are all hungry which keeps the more experienced players on their toes. Competition for places has been fierce and that’s got to be good for Irish cricket,” Porterfield said.
Head coach Phil Simmons explained the decision: “It’s our intention to have some additional players based in Australia to provide cover for the World Cup squad, and we’ll finalise those arrangements in the coming weeks. It’s important that we’ll have players who can hit the ground running if we suffer any injuries during the two months of the event.”
Ireland World Cup squad: William Porterfield (Captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.