(Credit ICC)
Ireland will depend on the seasoned batting prowess of Andy Balbirnie, Paul Stirling, and Harry Tector to bounce back from the defeat handed by India and rejuvenate their T20 World Cup journey as they prepare to take on a formidable Canadian team this Friday.
Ireland suffered an eight-wicket defeat against India on Wednesday, whereas Canada will be determined to bounce back following a seven-wicket loss to co-hosts USA.
Despite the presence of key players with experience in English county cricket, Ireland, participating in their eighth T20 World Cup, have often struggled to leave a mark in the tournament. Their journey to the ‘Super 8’ stage has been accomplished only once, back in 2009.
In their recent match at the Nassau Country Stadium, Andy Balbirnie and captain Paul Stirling, boasting a collective experience exceeding 250 T20Is, couldn’t provide Ireland with a solid start on a challenging pitch. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant showcased their batting prowess for India, guiding them to a significant victory.
Harry Tector, with 77 T20Is under his belt, also struggled to find momentum as Ireland succumbed to a sub-100 total against the disciplined Indian bowling attack, highlighting the urgent need for a turnaround.
Playing their second match at the same venue within two days, Ireland will be eager to apply the lessons learned from their previous encounter.
Meanwhile, T20 World Cup debutants Canada are coming off a significant loss against the United States in a high-scoring Group A clash in Dallas. Despite this setback, Canada can draw inspiration from their T20 World Cup Qualifier match against Ireland in 2019, where they secured a convincing 10-wicket victory over the Irish team.
In their skipper Navneet Dhaliwal, Canada possesses an experienced top-order batsman who played a pivotal role in their 2019 triumph over Ireland. Much will be expected from him in this crucial encounter. Additionally, Canada can take confidence from their recent match against the USA, where they posted a formidable total of 194, aiming to replicate such a performance.
Ireland-
Paul Stirling , Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andy Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little*, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock , Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker , Ben White, Craig Young.
Canada-
Saad Bin Zafar , Aaron Johnson, Ravinderpal Singh, Navneet Dhaliwal, Kaleem Sana, Dilon Heyliger, Jeremy Gordon, Nikhil Dutta, Pargat Singh, Nicholas Kirton, Rayyankhan Pathan, Junaid Siddiqui, Dilpreet Bajwa, Shreyas Movva and Rishiv Joshi.
