Ireland names team for T20I series vs England, Ben Calitz receives maiden call-up

Ireland has chosen a squad to face England in a three-match T20I series at Malahide in September, with wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Calitz called up for the first time.

The 23-year-old was born in Vancouver, Canada, and will migrate to Ireland in 2022. He has represented Canada at the under-19 level. In 2024, he played for the Munster Reds in the Inter-Provincial Series, followed by the Northern Knights in 2025. In April 2025, he was chosen for the Ireland Wolves tour of the UAE.

Meanwhile. Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher, and Craig Young have completed the Emerald Challenge series and are available to play. However, Mark Adair, Fionn Hand, and Josh Little are currently undergoing rehabilitation and are unavailable.

The series itself is of historic nature, being the first time Ireland has played a T20I in Ireland against England. The two sides have only met twice in the T20I format – the first match in 2010 being a No Result, and the second match being at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Melbourne where Ireland won by five runs (DLS).

Andrew White, National Men’s Selector, said:

“While every match against England is a special occasion, this series takes on extra importance given we are less than six months out from the next T20 World Cup [which will be played in India and Sri Lanka]. These matches against England offer us an opportunity to test ourselves against one of the world’s best teams as we build-up to that tournament.

“As it stands, we are set to play as many T20I matches in the next five months as we have already played in this cycle to date, but we’ll transition to Asian and Middle East venues to better prepare the squad for conditions they will likely face on the subcontinent.

“While it’s unfortunate that Mark [Adair], Fionn [Hand] and Josh [Little] are not available, this series will give several other members of the bowling group the chance to step up and challenge for World Cup spots.

“While we have excellent cover at the top of the order, it is the middle order batting where we are looking to increase our depth. As part of this focus, we welcome Ben Calitz into the squad – who gives us a left-handed batting option, as well as wicketkeeping cover – and Jordan Neill returns as cover for Mark Adair, as he did in the West Indies ODI series earlier this summer before injury cut his debut short.”

Ireland squad for England T20Is

Paul Stirling, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Barry McCarthy, Jordan Neil, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

Ireland vs England T20I series fixtures