Cricket Ireland has decided to delay the home series against Australia due to fiscal limitations. Australia, the reigning World Cup champions, was among four men’s squads set to tour Ireland in the forthcoming summer, as stated in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) preliminary schedule. Notwithstanding, it’s anticipated that financial complications will thwart the tour from occurring this year.
The upcoming summer’s home series against South Africa is also expected to be staged in the United Arab Emirates in the following October, in addition to the delayed Australian tour.
Cricket Ireland’s spokesman indicated that the summer schedule will be unveiled on the 15th of March, subsequent to the forthcoming ICC conference next week. He verified that in 2024, along with June’s T20 World Cup, Cricket Ireland will be organising six series – divided equally between the men’s and women’s teams.
In 2024, the men’s Irish team was set to welcome Pakistan, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Australia on home turf. As Ireland is set to host its first Test match since 2018, when Zimbabwe will play in Stormont, this is expected to incur considerable costs for Cricket Ireland, largely due to the country’s lack of a permanent stadium.
Previously, matches were held in Chelmsford for the home series against Bangladesh last year and in Bristol for South Africa’s tour in 2022.
With the World Cup slated for June, the Pakistan T20 series will likely be hosted in Clontarf, while additional white ball matches are planned to take place in Bready along with the Stormont-held Test match against Zimbabwe.
Despite prior reports, it is expected that a T20 tri-series involving Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands would take place in the Netherlands, rather than in Ireland.
The women’s squad of Ireland will be hosting matches against England, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, with all fixtures being hosted locally.
The details of the domestic schedule, which includes the recommencement of First Class domestic matches, will also reportedly be released next week. In related news, contracts for First Class umpires were announced recently by Cricket Ireland.
However, the domestic T20 event, formerly known as the Euro Slam, which has been in planning since 2019 but yet to occur, will not take place this summer.
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