Key pair return as Ireland name squads for Bangladesh tour

Fast bowling duo Mark Adair and Josh Little will make their return from injury as Ireland ramp up their preparations for next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup with a tour of Bangladesh.

Ireland will play two Tests and three T20Is against the Asian side from November 11, with Adair and Little included for the T20I portion of the tour ahead of the next installment of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka at the start of 2026.

Adair has been battling a knee concern and Little a side strain, but the pair are an important cog in Ireland's fast bowling department and will play a vital role in their fortunes at next year's T20 World Cup.

Paul Stirling will captain Ireland during the T20I portion of the series, while experienced batter Andrew Balbirnie will lead the side across the two Test matches in Sylhet and Dhaka with a total of five new faces included and in line for a Test debut.

The five new players in the Test squad are batters Cade Carmichael and Stephen Doheny, all-rounder Jordan Neill, left-arm pacer Liam McCarthy and spinner Gavin Hoey and the quintet will all come under consideration for the first Test that commences on November 11.

Ireland selector Andrew White is excited to see how his side will fare during the tour of Bangladesh.

“It is fantastic to have Test cricket on the horizon again - and with that we are excited to see Cade Carmichael come into the Test squad following his ODI debut against the West Indies earlier this year," White said.

"Not only has he had a great season, but he has also demonstrated the qualities required to be an international cricketer in this format. Cade compiled an excellent century against Afghanistan A in a four-day match in the UAE earlier this year, and anyone watching his two ODI appearances against West Indies will have noticed his composure and his technical ability against quick bowling.

“Stephen Doheny is another player who has had a good domestic season and demonstrated a number of technical changes that we hope will enable him to be successful going forward.

“It is likely that we will need all of our seamers across the back-to-back Tests. Given the recent number of injuries we have been managing, and the volume of cricket in the coming months, we will need to proactively manage the group in what will undoubtedly be hot and humid conditions. This is only the second time we have played consecutive Tests as part of a tour – it’s a challenge I know the squad will relish as they adapt to Asian conditions."

“In terms of the T20 squad, the likelihood is that spin will play a more prominent role - so Gareth Delany, Matthew Humphreys and Ben White are expected to provide options in this area. And with Mark Adair and Josh Little returning to the squad, Graham Hume makes way on this occasion.

“On the batting front, the 15-player squad allows us to bring in Tim Tector while retaining Ben Calitz to give us middle-order depth.”

Ireland Test squad: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Curtis Campher, Cade Carmichael, Stephen Doheny, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Liam McCarthy, Paul Stirling, Jordan Neill, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young

Ireland T20I squad: Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

Series schedule:

First Test: November 11-15, Sylhet
Second Test: November 19-23, Dhaka

First T20I: November 27, Chattogram
Second T20I: November 29, Chattogram
Third T20I: December 2, Dhaka