Ireland will look to build on their recent Test success as they welcome Zimbabwe to Belfast next week.
Andrew Balbirnie’s side will seek a first-ever Test win on home soil having secured their first win in the longer form of the game, beating Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, in what was only their eighth match since securing their full ICC membership status.
A 14-player squad has been announced for the Test, which takes place at Stormont, which starts on Thursday, 25 July.
“We have a pretty settled squad for this Test match just on the back of obviously winning the previous Test against Afghanistan,” said selector Andrew White.
“On the back of our first victory, we’re definitely looking to back that up with another win. We’re not looking to just pick a squad that will compete, we’re looking at a squad that can actually win the Test match – by taking 20 wickets and scoring the runs that we need to score arguably in the first innings to set up the victory.
“While there are lots of familiar names in there, I suppose the two names that stand out are the inclusion of Matthew Humphreys and Gavin Hoey,” added White.
“Humphreys made his Test debut in Sri Lanka and found the going difficult against good players of spin out in the subcontinent. He’d admit himself that he went through a period of a loss of form and maybe a loss of confidence, but he’s worked extremely hard to come back into the reckoning and his performances for Ireland Wolves have been exactly what we were looking for.
“Hoey is a talented leg spinner, and his ability to spin the ball both ways gives us a strong wicket-taking option. Again, he’s a player that’s been on the radar for a while and can play across all three formats. But this is an opportunity for him to come into the Test squad and get used to the environment.”
Ireland squad: Andrew Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young
