Curtis Campher receives maiden call-up in Ireland ODI squad against England

Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher has recieved his maiden call-up in the 14-member national squad for the first One-Day International (ODI) of the three-match series against England at Ageas Bowl in Southamptom on Thursday.

Campher seems to have got the nod in the ODI squad after impressing the national selectors with two half-centuries for Ireland A during their T20 series against Namibia earlier in February this year.

“One notable inclusion for Irish fans is Curtis Campher, who has been called up to the Ireland senior squad for the first time. Curtis has impressed selectors and coaches with both his batting and bowling, played very well for the Ireland Wolves against Namibia in February, has trained well in recent weeks and provides a great balance to the side. Fans saw a little of what he can offer during the intra-squad match last Wednesday, and we believe he’ll be ready to step up if called upon," Cricket Ireland quoted national selector Andrew White as saying.

Meanwhile, Andrew Balbirnie will lead the Ireland ODI side and hope to clinch a win against the England side which will miss the services of some of their top players Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler due to the ongoing West Indies Tests.

Batsman Harry Tector, who has appeared in a total of 20 matches for the national side in the shortest format of the game, is all set to make his ODI debut for Ireland.

"Another exciting one for Irish fans is Harry Tector, who comes into the reckoning now to make his ODI debut. Harry has already featured in 20 T20 Internationals for Ireland, and has demonstrated during warm-up games and in training that he is ready for this format of the game. His half-century on Sunday was against an excellent attack, and demonstrated a maturity in his batting for a player so early in their career," White stated.

The remaining two ODIs of the three-match series between England and Ireland will be played on August 1 and 4, respectively.

The ODI series between England and Ireland will also mark the beginning of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, which will determine qualification for the World Cup 2023 with the top seven teams automatically booking their places for the showpiece event in India.

The full Ireland ODI squad is as follows:

Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Paul Stirling, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O`Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.