Maiden Test behind them, Ireland eye first win
Ireland are set to play a quadrangular Twenty20 International tournament in Oman, also featuring Scotland, the Netherlands and the hosts, before travelling to India for three T20Is, five one-day internationals and a Test against Afghanistan.
The Test in Dehradun will be the second for both teams: Ireland's historic debut was against Pakistan in Malahide, while Afghanistan were welcomed into the fold by India in Bangalore last year.
👋 Farewell and best of luck to the Ireland Men’s squad who set off from Dublin this morning - seven weeks of cricket ahead. First stop, Oman. #BackingGreen ☘️🏏 pic.twitter.com/zbxi71Rv97
— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) February 2, 2019
"It will be a different scenario to our first Test at Malahide," agreed Andrew Balbirnie, the Ireland batsman. "The home Test match was such a great feeling for everyone – the players, Cricket Ireland, our families and friends.
"This Test won't have the same sort of buzz around it, but rather it will be just a real hard-fought five-day match in tough conditions. We've got that first Test match under our belts. We know what it’s about, we know what it feels like to play at that level, now we just now have to go out there and get some good results."
This being a multi-format tour that throws up an array of challenges, Balbirnie acknowledged that it would require quick mindset changes from the squad. But it also provides them with an opportunity to tick a number of boxes.
"We have to develop the mindset to be able to change thinking in a short space of time. Our goals are around winning some T20s, particularly in this big year with the World Cup Qualifier ahead, being competitive in the one-dayers as we were last year, and to maybe win the Test match," he said.
With the Ireland Men’s squad heading off to Oman this weekend, we dropped into one of their final training sessions at @NorthCountycc - and despite the cold, there was plenty of activity underway! #BackingGreen ☘️🏏 pic.twitter.com/qGtp7wTMxX
— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) January 30, 2019
"We really want to win a Test sooner rather than later, but Afghanistan will be tough in those conditions with the spin bowlers they have."
For the T20Is, Ireland will be led by Paul Stirling, and he found good support from Balbirnie. “The T20s on this tour will also be great for Stirlo as our new stand-in captain. He’s our most experienced T20 player, has played in all sorts of T20 competitions against some quality players, under a brilliant captain," he said.
"He's not a big talker in the change room, I imagine he will be more a leader who does his talking on the field, which is a good attribute to have. He's a good mate and I am looking forward to see how he does with it."