Ireland cricket team

Ireland

Nickname(s)	Green and Whites
Association	Cricket Ireland
Personnel
Test captain	Andrew Balbirnie
One Day captain	Paul Stirling
T20I captain	Paul Stirling
Coach	Heinrich Malan
History
Test status acquired	2017
International Cricket Council
ICC status	Associate Member (1993) Full Member (2017)
ICC region	ECC
ICC Rankings Current[3] Best-ever Test 10th 10th (28 July 2024) ODI 11th 10th (23 April 2007)[1] T20I 11th 8th (31 March 2012)[2]
Tests
First Test	v.  Pakistan at The Village, Malahide; 11–15 May 2018
Last Test	v.  Zimbabwe at Stormont, Belfast; 25–28 July 2024
Tests Played Won/Lost Total[4] 9 2/7 (0 draws) This year[5] 2 2/0 (0 draws)
One Day Internationals
First ODI	v.  England at Stormont, Belfast; 13 June 2006
Last ODI	v.  South Africa at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi; 7 October 2024
ODIs Played Won/Lost Total[6] 204 81/105 (3 ties, 15 no results) This year[7] 5 1/4 (0 ties, 0 no results)
World Cup appearances	3 (first in 2007)
Best result	Super 8 (2007)
World Cup Qualifier appearances	7 (first in 1994)
Best result	Champions (2009)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20I	v.  Scotland at Stormont, Belfast; 2 August 2008
Last T20I	v.  South Africa at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi; 29 September 2024
T20Is Played Won/Lost Total[8] 171 72/90 (2 ties, 7 no results) This year[9] 14 6/8 (0 ties, 0 no results)
T20 World Cup appearances	8 (first in 2009)
Best result	Super 8 (2009)
T20 World Cup Qualifier appearances	5[a] (first in 2008)
Best result	Champions (2008, 2012, 2013)
Test kit ODI kit T20I kit
As of 7 October 2024

The Ireland men's cricket team represents All-Ireland in international cricket. The Irish Cricket Union, operating under the brand Cricket Ireland, is the sport's governing body in Ireland, and they organise the international team. The team have a number of home grounds, including Malahide in County Dublin, Stormont, Belfast, Bready in the north-west and Clontarf in Dublin city. A further ground is planned for the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Dublin for 2030.^[10] Due to the short season allowed by the Irish climate, and lack of large scale facilities, Ireland also occasionally play 'home matches' in venues in England and further abroad.

Ireland's men participate in all three major forms of the international game, Test, One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. They are the 11th Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the second Full Member from Europe, having been awarded Test status, along with Afghanistan, on 22 June 2017.^{[11][12][13][14]} Ireland and Afghanistan are the most recently appointed Test-playing nations.

Modern Cricket was introduced to Ireland in the 19th century, though cricket may have partly evolved from earlier Gaelic games invented in Ireland.^{[15][16][17][18]} The first match played by an Ireland team was in 1855. Ireland toured Canada and the United States in the late 19th century, and occasionally hosted matches against touring sides. Ireland's most significant early international rivalry, with the Scotland national cricket team, was established when the teams first played each other in 1888.^[19] Ireland's maiden first-class match was played in 1902.

Ireland were elected to Associate membership of the ICC in 1993, but played their first full ODI in 2006 against England in the build-up to the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, their first successful qualification. At that tournament, a series of eye-catching results against Full Members, including a draw against Zimbabwe, and wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh confirmed Ireland's ODI status after the competition. Since then, they have gone on to play 197 ODIs, resulting in 78 victories, 101 defeats, 15 no results, and 3 ties.^[20] Contracts for players were introduced in 2009, marking the transition to becoming a professional team.

Further success in the shortest format meant the Ireland team also qualified for the 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022,^[21][22] and 2024^[b] World Twenty20 competitions, and have qualified for the future 2026 T20 World Cup by ICC men's T20 world rankings.

Before attaining Test status, Ireland also played first-class international cricket in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, which they have won four times between 2005 and 2013. Due to their successes in the first-class ICC Intercontinental Cup competition, and further high-profile wins at the World Cups of 2011 (against England) and 2015 (against West Indies and Zimbabwe), they were labelled the "leading Associate"^[23] and stated their intention to become a full member by 2020. This intention was realised in June 2017, when the ICC unanimously decided to award Ireland and Afghanistan Full Member status, which allows them to participate in Test matches.^[24] Ireland's first test was a home fixture at The Village, Malahide between 11–15 May 2018 against Pakistan, and they have played tests somewhat sporadically since. Their first test victory was against fellow new boys Afghanistan in Sharjah on 12 March 2024.

Ireland remain the only test playing nation, where the women's team have played a test match before the men's team.^[25] Ireland was a women's test nation seventeen years before the men, playing their only test also against Pakistan.

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