Ireland squad for one-off Test against New Zealand announced, Paul Stirling out with injury

Published - 22 May 2026, 18:15 IST | Updated - 22 May 2026, 18:15 IST

Cricket Ireland, on Friday, May 22, named the Ireland men’s squad for the upcoming Test encounter against New Zealand to be held at Stormont next week. This is the first time these two sides will be competing in the red-ball format.

The Test match, scheduled as a four-day Test between 27 and 30 May 2026, is Ireland Men’s 13th Test in its history. Ireland Men have won three Tests to date, including their first Test at Stormont in 2024 against Zimbabwe.

Andrew Balbirnie, the only player to feature in all 12 Irish Tests so far, will captain the side once more; however, he will lead a squad depleted by several key injuries, including Paul Stirling, Barry McCarthy, Jordan Neill, Gavin Hoey and Josh Little.

There are four players in the squad who are in line to make their Test debuts, if selected: Jake Egan, Tom Mayes, Liam McCarthy and Reuben Wilson.

Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Cade Carmichael, Stephen Doheny, Jake Egan, Matthew Humphreys, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, Liam McCarthy, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Reuben Wilson, Craig Young