Stephen Doheny replaces unwell Gary Wilson for Afghanistan T20Is

Wilson had been laid low by an illness during Ireland A’s tour of South Africa, as a result of which he spent most of the tour on the sidelines. Cricket Ireland’s medical staff subsequently made the decision to keep Wilson out of the tour of India as a precautionary measure.

Doheny, who also a part of that tour of South Africa, where he returned a pair of half-centuries from four T20 outings, is looking forward to the opportunity, saying: “It’s obviously a great honour for me to be called up to the T20 squad. It will be a great learning experience for me and one that I am really looking forward to.

“When I received the call from Andrew White [chairman of selectors], I was delighted. I was in South Africa getting ready for a game the next day and have to admit I was caught off guard when he rang. It is something that I have been working hard towards for a long time and it is satisfying to know that all the many, many hours of training and preparation have paid off. I am aware the hard work is only really starting now, but I am looking forward to getting to India to hit the ground running.”

Ireland will also welcome Ryan Eagleson, the academy performance coach, into the set-up, as he comes in to support the acting head coach Rob Cassell in the absence of regular coach Graham Ford.

Ireland will take on Afghanistan in three T20Is, starting this Friday and ending early next week. All the games are scheduled to take place at Greater Noida’s Sports Complex Ground.