Test cricket has a special place in Irish captain’s heart, but he had an inauspicious start in the format
He happily admits it’s his favourite form of the game.
The 33-year-old skipper is the only player to feature in all eight Tests since Ireland were elevated to the top tier of international cricket in 2017.
He said he was “overwhelmed” to lead the team to their first Test win, a victory over Afghanistan in March.
“Test cricket will always hold a special place in my heart,” he said. “We have so much white-ball cricket throughout the year, it’s become the norm for us, so playing these longer games is a real pleasure because it doesn’t happen that often.
“As a player, you really enjoy the build up to it, the ebbs and flows of the game itself, the intricacies and the traditions that make it so special.”
Balbirnie’s introduction to Test cricket was far from pleasurable as he became the first Ireland player to record a ‘pair’ – two noughts – against Pakistan at Malahide in 2018.
“I can never get away from that, it’s going to be with me for the rest of time,” he admitted, chuckling at the unwanted record. “To be fair, I couldn’t have been in better form. I was full of confidence – but once you step over the line, the bowler doesn’t give a [damn] about that.
“It was a tough few days afterwards because I’d built up to that historical first game and failed miserably as an individual. The only good thing is that I knew I’d get another crack at it.”
Another seven cracks to date – all away from home – with a top score of 95 against Sri Lanka in Galle and the high earlier this year of dominating a small but nervy chase in scoring 58 not out to deliver a six-wicket victory over Afghanistan.
“That chase was never going to be easy, but when we were three down for not very many – and they were cock-a-hoop and jumping around – that’s when I realised it was going to be even tougher,” he said.
“Those runs were just as important as making a hundred because of what went with it. Of course I want to make a Test century. A few of the guys have one under their belts now and I’d by lying if I said I didn’t want one too.”
Covid and funding issues restricted Ireland to three Tests in their first five years of being Full Members of the ICC – and Balbirnie admits it took a while to get used to the demands of five-day cricket.
“Playing those four matches last year – three on the subcontinent and the one at Lord’s – was the first time that I felt like a regular Test cricketer. Our games before that had been so sporadic,” he said.
Ideally, he would like Ireland to be playing a couple of home Tests every summer, but staging costs are prohibitive.
For now, he will have to settle for beating Zimbabwe at Stormont this week and another record, as the first Ireland captain to win a Test on home soil.
