Ireland have named a no-surprises squad for the two one-dayers against Sri Lanka in Clontarf next month, with batsman Ed Joyce confident his side can do well against the World Twenty20 champions.
All of the players in the Ireland 13-man squad were part of the WT20 in Bangladesh last month, and while it did not go well for them at the time, Joyce is sure they’ll be able to pull off a good showing against the recent Asia Cup champs.
The former England batsman said: “I’m convinced we have a real chance of beating Sri Lanka as they won’t relish the conditions we’re likely to face in early May in Dublin.
“As a player you want to test yourself against the best and Sri Lanka certainly come into that category.
“We tied with Pakistan at the same venue last year, and lost the second match by a narrow margin when we looked like winning it.
“It was a very special occasion for me to score that hundred in front of a sell-out crowd but it was a bitter-sweet experience as we eventually lost that game. Hopefully this time we can go one better and record our first Dublin victory against one of the big teams.
“I’ve only played one international match against Sri Lanka during the 2007 World Cup, so I’m really looking forward to the challenge of facing some of the world’s best bowlers.”
Ireland coach Phil Simmons explained the selections: “We’ve resisted the temptation to make any changes, as the guys have been magnificent over the past few years.
“We’ve turned in some fantastic performances against Full Members in recent times, but it’s a reality that we still haven’t recorded a major victory here in Dublin – although we seem to be getting closer every year.
“What better way to break that duck than with a win over reigning world champions? That would be a great thank-you present to the Irish fans who have made our last two fixtures sell-outs.”
Ireland’s confidence will be boosted by the fact that Sri Lanka are now without a head coach, after Paul Farbrace quit the job three months in so he could take up an job as England’s assistant coach.
Squad:
William Porterfield (captain), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Tim Murtagh, Andrew McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson.
