International men's cricket was first played in Ireland in 1855 by a Gentlemen of England team, although it would not be until 1888 that the first tour by a team termed as representative was made by Scotland.
The first Test match to be played in Ireland came 120 years later in 2018 between Ireland and Pakistan at Malahide.
The first One Day International to be held in Ireland came in the 1999 Cricket World Cup between Bangladesh and the West Indies at Castle Avenue, Dublin.
In 2008, the Stormont in Belfast hosted the first Twenty20 International to be played in Ireland during the 2008 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, with Canada playing the Netherlands.
Below is a complete list of grounds used for men's international cricket in Ireland. [n 1]
Name | Location | First | Last | No. | First | Last | No. | First | Last | No. | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Test | One Day International | Twenty20 International | |||||||||
Test Grounds | |||||||||||
The Village | Malahide | 11 May 2018 Ireland v Pakistan | – | 1 | 3 Sep 2013 Ireland v England | 15 Jul 2022 Ireland v New Zealand | 22 | 15 Jul 2015 Ireland v Hong Kong | 23 Aug Ireland v India | 18 | [1] [2] [3] [4] [n 2] |
ODI & T20I grounds | |||||||||||
Castle Avenue | Clontarf | – | – | 0 | 21 May 1999 Bangladesh v West Indies | 15 May 2019 | 25 | 25 Jul 2015 Afghanistan v Oman | 29 Aug 2021 | 3 | [5] [6] [7] [n 3] |
Stormont | Belfast | – | – | 0 | 13 Jun 2006 Ireland v England | 13 Sep 2021 | 34 | 2 Aug 2008 Canada v Netherlands | 17 Aug 2022 | 27 | [8] [9] [10] [n 4] |
Bready | Magheramason | – | – | 0 | 1 Jul 2019 | – | 1 | 18 Jun 2015 | 4 Sep 2021 Ireland v Zimbabwe | 12 | [11] [12] [13] |
The Ireland men's cricket team represents all of Ireland in international cricket. The Irish Cricket Union, operating under the brand Cricket Ireland, is the sport's governing body in Ireland, and they organise the international team.
Gary Craig Wilson is a former Irish cricketer, who is a wicket-keeper and right-handed batsman. He played for Ireland in Tests, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals, with his first appearance for the national side coming in 2005. He was one of the eleven cricketers to play in Ireland's first ever Test match, against Pakistan, in May 2018. In June 2018, he was named captain of Ireland's T20I side, a role he held until November 2019. On 19 March 2021, Wilson announced his retirement from professional cricket.
Castle Avenue Cricket Ground, also known as Clontarf Cricket Club Ground, is a cricket facility in the suburb of Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. It is the primary of the two grounds of Clontarf Cricket Club, the secondary being at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, and the lands on which it lies are also home to two rugby union pitches belonging to Clontarf FC. The ground is one of only four One Day International grounds on the island of Ireland.
Cricket in Ireland is governed by Cricket Ireland, which maintains the Ireland men's and women's cricket teams. Like several other sports in Ireland, cricket is organised on an all-Ireland basis. Following the team's success in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the sport's popularity increased in Ireland. The country was, until 2017, an associate member of the International Cricket Council and played in tournaments like the World Cricket League and ICC Intercontinental Cup, which are qualifying rounds for associate teams for the Cricket World Cup and ICC World Twenty20. Ireland qualified for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 ICC World Twenty20. In the 2011 World Cup, they beat England in the group matches.
Stormont is an international and first-class cricket ground in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the grounds of the Stormont Estate, the seat of government in Northern Ireland, and is the home of Civil Service North of Ireland Cricket Club.
Malahide Cricket Club was founded in 1861 and is situated within Malahide Castle demesne, near the railway station. The club has over 400 members and is open all year round. The club currently fields 20 teams.
Andrew Balbirnie is an Irish cricketer, the current captain of the Ireland cricket team in Test cricket. Balbirnie is a right-handed batsman and an occasional wicket-keeper. He was born in Dublin and was educated at St. Andrew's College. He was one of the 11 cricketers to play in Ireland's first ever Test match, against Pakistan, in May 2018. In December 2018, he was one of 19 players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season.
Bready Cricket Club is a cricket club located in the village of Magheramason, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, playing in North West Senior League 1. The club are the current holders of the North West Senior Cup.
Craig Alexander Young is an Irish professional cricketer. Young is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace. On 26 May 2013, Young made his first-class debut for Ireland against Scotland. He made his One Day International debut against Scotland in September 2014, taking 5 wickets for 45 runs. He made his Twenty20 International debut against Scotland on 18 June 2015.
Malahide Cricket Club Ground or The Village is a cricket ground in Malahide, Ireland, situated in the Lady Acre field of Malahide Castle grounds. The ground is owned by Malahide Cricket Club. The ground has been developed to a capacity of 11,500, making it Ireland's biggest cricket venue; it officially opened for international cricket in 2013. In November 2017, it was confirmed as the venue for Ireland's first men's Test match, when they played Pakistan in May 2018.
Bready Cricket Club Ground is a cricket ground in the village of Magheramason, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The ground is owned by the Bready Cricket Club. The ground became Ireland's fourth venue for international cricket along with The Village in Malahide, Dublin, Ireland; Castle Avenue in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland, and the Civil Service Cricket Club Ground in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Tyrone Edward Kane is an Irish cricketer who plays for the Ireland national cricket team. He was one of the eleven cricketers to play in Ireland's first ever Test match, against Pakistan, in May 2018. In December 2018, he was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season. In January 2020, he was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract from Cricket Ireland, the first year in which all contracts were awarded on a full-time basis.
The 2016 Inter-Provincial Championship is the fourth season of the Inter-Provincial Championship, the domestic three-day cricket competition of Ireland. The competition is played between Leinster Lightning, Northern Knights and North West Warriors. The championship will be sponsored by Hanley Energy and will be observed International Cricket Council. The championship is in Strategic Plan of Cricket Ireland success to achieve Test Status for the national team.
Graham Ian Hume is a South African born cricketer who plays for the Ireland cricket team. He made his international debut for Ireland in July 2022.
Simranjit "Simi" Singh is an Indian born Irish cricketer. In December 2018, he was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season. In January 2020, he was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract from Cricket Ireland, the first year in which all contracts were awarded on a full-time basis.
The Zimbabwe cricket team toured Ireland in June and July 2019 to play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. All the matches were played at the Stormont Cricket Ground in Belfast and the Bready Cricket Club Ground in Magheramason. Zimbabwe last toured Ireland in 2003.
The New Zealand cricket team toured Ireland in July 2022 to play three One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. The ODI series formed part of the inaugural 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.