Stirling picked, Little rested for Lord’s Test in opposition to England
Stirling held discussions with Cricket Ireland on the finish of final 12 months wherein it was agreed that he would sit out of their Test fixtures in 2023 in a bid to handle his workload.
“My opinion was I was reluctant to pick and choose matches in each format,” he advised the Belfast Telegraph final month. “I said, ‘is there a format entirely that we might rest up on and take breaks on?’ and I thought that was the best way to go.”
Andrew White, Ireland’s nationwide selector, stated: “Although the IPL will have finished, we are very conscious of the need for Josh to rest, recover and prepare for what will be a busy and important summer for us in white ball cricket.”
“There is a familiar shape to the squad but given the progress and performances in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – particularly with the bat – the players acquitted themselves well and can take some level of confidence into Lord’s,” White added.
“It is great news that we can welcome the likes of Craig Young and Conor Olphert back into the set-up, and the next few weeks will be important for both these lads as they increase their workload ahead of this red-ball series.
Squad: Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Conor Olphert, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Craig Young
Fixtures: May 26-28 – First-class warm-up vs Essex, Chelmsford; June 1-4 – Test vs England, Lord’s.