Ireland ready to embrace stiff New Zealand Test challenge

Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie knows his team face a tough ask to match it with inaugural ICC World Test Championship winners New Zealand in the one-off Test that commences in Belfast on Wednesday.

The four-day contest will be the first time ever that Ireland have hosted New Zealand in a Test match and will provide the Black Caps with a difficult outing ahead of their World Test Championship series against England from next month.

For Ireland the match is the first Test they have hosted in almost two years and while Balbirnie expects a difficult challenge from the Kiwis, the Ireland skipper wants his teammates to embrace the contest.

"It will be a challenge. These guys (New Zealand) have played a lot of first-class cricket, a lot of Test cricket, and they'll certainly be going in as favourites," Balbirnie told BBC Sport NI.

"We just have to ask our boys to embrace it, don't look at as if you are playing New Zealand, just go out as if you're playing for your club team and enjoy it, and we'll see where we land at the end of Saturday.

"We're going to have to play tough cricket. There will be periods during the four days when we will be under pressure but as long as we come out of that pressure having thrown a couple of punches that's all you can really ask for."

Tom Latham will lead the visitors during the Test, while former skipper Kane Williamson is also likely to feature in what will be his first international appearance since the backend of last year.

While New Zealand are sure to have one eye on the three-match World Test Championship series against England that commences at Lord's on June 4, Latham said his side are purely focused on performing well in Ireland.

"We're certainly not taking it lightly. We come here with a slightly different squad, some guys not being here through other commitments with franchise stuff," Latham said.

"But most of the guys in this group have played Test cricket and it's important to learn from those experiences.

"We are solely focused on this match and we're looking forward to what the next four days presents.

"We want to come here and display our skills as best we can and play our brand of cricket as best we can.

"We've been here playing ODIs and T20 cricket so we have experienced this part of the world, and these conditions, before.

"Fingers crossed, the weather remains sunny like this and we can get a full game in."

Ireland: 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.

New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Kristian Clarke, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Dean Foxcroft, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, ​Henry Nicholls, Will O'Rourke, Glenn ⁠Phillips, Michael Rae, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Kane Williamson, Will ​Young