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Ireland were bowled out for 172 on Day One at Lord’s as Stuart Broad took a five-wicket haul before brisk fifties from both openers put England on top.
Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first, putting Ireland into bat in overcast conditions. It was a momentous day for Fionn Hand, who was given a Test debut for Ireland, receiving his cap from PJ Moor before the start of play.
An initial four-over period of calm for Ireland’s openers was broken by Broad, who thumped the new Duke’s ball into Moor’s pad plumb in front to break into the batting line-up.
Two more wickets fell in the first half-hour of play, with Andrew Balbirnie lasting five balls before he became Broad’s second victim, hanging his bat outside off stump and nicking to Zak Crawley at second slip. Two balls later and Harry Tector was also heading back to the pavilion. A man had been placed at leg slip all morning and Tector rewarded the plan, flicking the ball straight to Matthew Potts.
In trouble at 19-3, it could have been even worse for Ireland as Paul Stirling almost became Broad’s third wicket in the over. He was given out off the first delivery he faced after the ball struck his pad in front of middle and leg but opted for the review. DRS showed the ball sliding down the leg side and missing the stumps to give Ireland an important reprieve.
A 45-run partnership between James McCollum and Stirling steadied the ship over the next hour of play. Stirling, as ever, took the aggressive approach, whacking boundaries off both Josh Tongue and Jack Leach and scoring at near a run a ball.
With 20 minutes to go before lunch, Stirling looked to unfurl an almighty sweep off Leach but clipped the ball with his glove. It popped gently up into the air for Bairstow to take a simple catch, Ireland losing their fourth wicket in the morning session with Stirling out for 30
After some chin music before the break from Tongue, McCollum resumed his stoical presence at the crease on 29 from 93 balls after Lunch. However, his vigil was brought to an end by a length delivery from Broad, which was nicked through to Joe Root at first slip. Lorcan Tucker followed him back shortly after, falling to Leach.
Curtis Campher looked in imperious form as the afternoon wore on. He drilled a cover drive to the boundary off Broad before timing a pull shot off Tongue for another four. Andy McBrine joined in on advancing the partnership, pulling Potts behind square with authority. However, he became Ireland’s seventh wicket to fall when he was dismissed by Potts, nicking behind to Bairstow for 19.
After Ireland made it through to the Tea break without further loss, Broad finally completed his five-for in his second over after the break, clipping Adair’s off-stump with an inswinger. It was his third five-wicket-haul at Lord’s and his first at the ground since 2013.
Ireland’s innings tailed off quickly after that. Campher’s stumps were broken when he danced down the wicket to Jack Leach and Hand nicked behind five balls later to bring the innings to a close on 172.
England’s openers then made great in-roads into Ireland’s lead in the evening sun. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett raced to a fifty stand in just 7.2 overs, before passing 100 in quick time.
Crawley rode his luck at times as he reached his half-century off 39 balls, inside edging down to the boundary on several occasions. He was out to a ball he struck firmly, as Hand just clung on to a brilliant caught and bowled to take his first Test wicket.
Duckett and Ollie Pope saw England through to the close with Ireland’s first innings lead just 20. England will resume on 152-1 tomorrow morning.
MATCH SUMMARY
England v Ireland, Only Test match, Day One, Lord’s, 1st June 2023
Ireland 172 (56.2 overs; James McCollum 36, Curtis Campher 33; Stuart Broad 5-51)
England 152-1 (25 overs; Ben Duckett 60*, Zak Crawley 56; Fionn Hand 1-42)
Ireland lead by 20 runs.

MATCH SUMMARY

Essex Men v Ireland Men, First-class match, Chelmsford, 26-28 May 2023
Essex 343 (71.5 overs; R Das 132, G Dockrell 74, M Adair 64; T Mayes 4-68)
Ireland 419 (87.5 overs; P Stirling 107, L Tucker 97, A McBrine 67; J Richards 5-96)
Essex 307-8 dec (53 overs; M Adair 85, W Buttleman 65; G Hume 3-49, T Mayes 3-55)
Ireland 232-0 (42.4 overs; PJ Moor 118*, J McCollum 100*)
Ireland won by 10 wickets

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today released the fixture schedule for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.
The event will see 10 teams competing for two spots in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup – the qualifier will be held in Zimbabwe from 18 June – 9 July 2023.
Each match will be high stakes, with teams contesting for two places at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India that gives them nine guaranteed matches at cricket’s ODI global showpiece.
The 10 teams taking part in the qualifier are split into two groups of five teams:
Group A:
Zimbabwe
West Indies
Netherlands
Nepal
United States
Group B:
Sri Lanka
Ireland
Scotland
Oman
United Arab Emirates
Each side will play the other teams in their group once with the top three from each group progressing to the Super Six stage. In the Super Six, they will play the sides they did not meet in the group stage.
All points won in the group stage will be carried over to the Super Six stage apart from those gained against the teams that fail to make it to the Super Six stage. The finalists will both progress to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
For the first time in this tournament, DRS will be used for all matches from the Super Six stage onwards.
The Qualifier is the culmination of four years of hard-fought competition that brings together the bottom five teams from the ICC Men’s CWC Super League, three automatic qualifiers from the ICC Men’s CWC League 2 and two teams who gained entry from the ICC Men’s CWC Qualifier Play-o
ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said:
“The countdown to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is entering the final stages and this event presents an incredible opportunity for teams to earn a place in the pinnacle event of one day cricket. The stakes don’t get any bigger in what will be a very competitive event enjoyed by fans looking to see who will join the eight teams that have already booked their tickets to India.
“With two former Men’s Cricket World Cup champions among the contenders as well as emerging cricket nations who are aiming to qualify for the first time, this unique event, featuring teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe will be a showcase of the global game.”
IRELAND MEN’S FIXTURES
Warm-up matches:
13 June: Ireland v USA, Bulawayo Athletic Club (start 9am local time)
15 June: Ireland v Netherlands, Queen’s Sports Club (start 9am local time)
Group A matches:
19 June: Ireland v Oman, Bulawayo Athletic Club (start 9am local time)
21 June: Ireland v Scotland, Queen’s Sports Club (start 9am local time)
25 June: Sri Lanka v Ireland, Queen’s Sports Club (start 9am local time)
27 June: Ireland v UAE, Bulawayo Athletic Club (start 9am local time)
Super Six matches begin 29 June.

DUNDALK - The Cricket Ireland Annual General Meeting 2023 was held on Sunday, where a new President was named, the 2022 financial accounts accepted, and four new independent directors were approved by the Board – one of which is former Ireland Men’s captain, William Porterfield.
The meeting was attended by the Cricket Ireland voting members, Board Directors, the Cricket Ireland President, Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer. All recommended proposals were passed at the meeting.
FINANCIAL RESULT
The AGM noted approval of the accounts by Board resolution at its April meeting for a financial year in which Cricket Ireland delivered a deficit of €176,184, driven largely by the continued fallout of Covid-19 and significant cost rises caused by external inflationary pressures.
Andrew May, Chief Financial Officer at Cricket Ireland, said:
“Although Cricket Ireland delivered a deficit of €176K for the year, we saw our income increase by 48% to €12.9M, with a strong increase on broadcast, match day and sponsorship income after the return to full activity post Covid-19. However, while our income grew significantly, our cost base also grew by approximately €3.5M which was a combination of our largest-ever season, significant inflationary pressure and ongoing dependence on costly temporary infrastructure to deliver our fixture obligations.
“In 2023, we come to the end of our current funding cycle with the ICC and while the year will be a challenge financially, we are very optimistic about the financial stability of the organisation in 2024 and beyond. We are planning on having a deficit of €4M for 2023 which will be financed through a $5M ICC loan to see us through year and into the next funding cycle with the ICC in 2024.”
ANNUAL REPORT
The Cricket Ireland AnnualReport can be found here.
APPOINTMENTS
Four new Board members were appointed at the meeting:
William Porterfield (Independent Director)
William needs very little introduction. He is one of Ireland’s most decorated cricketers, having amassed 310 caps (across all formats) for Ireland after making his international debut 2006. He ended his career as the third most capped Irish international and second-highest run-scorer for Ireland. The left-handed top-order batter from Donemana Cricket Club, struck the first of his 18 centuries for Ireland against the MCC in a one-day match at Lord’s in August 2006, before going on to register 9,507 runs for Ireland at an average of 31.07.
As captain, Porterfield led the senior Irish side an incredible 253 times. He led Ireland to two 50-over World Cups and five T20 World Cups, but perhaps his most significant moment as captain was leading Ireland Men’s team out at its historic first-ever Test match in May 2018. William is currently coaching in the UK with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
Martina McDonnell (Independent Director)
Martina has over 20 years of marketing and communications experience. She is currently Marketing Director with Meta, and has delivered increased brand awareness through on social media platform campaigns, cross media partnerships and industry marketing to maximise the impact of owned, paid and earned channels. Martina has also developed programme extensions to drive diversity and inclusion for women (#SheMeansBusiness), Armed Forces Community, minority owned businesses and under-represented youth.
Mari O’Leary (Independent Director)
Mari is a highly experienced executive/non-executive director, and business owner with over thirty years’ experience in the marketing, public relations and communications sector. She is the Managing Director of an independent boutique PR and marketing company (O’Leary PR & Marketing) and has a proven track record of delivering strategic counsel across a wide range of industries/sectors.
Mari has also gained extensive experience contributing at a board level including as the former Chairperson of the Public Relations Consultancy Association (PRCA) and President of Entrepreneurs Organisation (EO) Ireland.
Siobhan McBennett (Cricket Leinster nominee)
Siobhan has been an important leader of the volunteer cricket community for more than 45 years. Her involvement in cricket started in her home town of Mullingar, initially as a scorer but also as a player & administrator. Her volunteer “career” really took off when she became involved in both Rush CC, her local club and Dublin University CC, where she worked. Her involvement in Rush CC has seen her operate at every level of the club. Her work as President and separately Chair saw significant advancements in the club both on and off the field. She is renowned for her administration of Youth Cricket in the club, with a special focus on Girls & Women’s Cricket. Siobhan is also passionate about inclusion within cricket at all levels.
No stranger to operating at National level, Siobhan was previously Chair of the then Irish Women's Cricket Union and was instrumental in its amalgamation with the then Irish Cricket Union. She was Manager of the Ireland Women’s Team from 1992 to 1996, including the ground-breaking World Cup in England in 1993. Siobhan is also a highly qualified and experienced scorer/scorer tutor (at all levels) and has the distinction of having been the only female President to-date of the Leinster Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association.
Siobhan has been on the Board of Cricket Leinster (CL) since its incorporation in 2017 and has been Chair of Women's Cricket in Leinster since 2019. In addition, she is a member of the CL Cricket Committee and is the 2023 CL President Elect, so she will become the CL President for 2024.
The new Directors will replace Michael Howard, Barry Tucker, Gary Keegan and Julie Fenton.
The addition of three women to the Board now means that Cricket Ireland will satisfy the 40% female representation by National Governing Bodies (NGB) required by Sport Ireland. The Board is also working towards delivering the requirement to have a 50/50 male/female Board by 2025.

William Wilson named new Cricket Ireland President

Former Brigade cricketer, William Wilson has been confirmed as the new President of Cricket Ireland following today’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), replacing the outgoing David Griffin.
William was set to be announced as Vice-President, however, when presumptive President May Sharp had to withdraw for this year for personal reasons, he has stepped up into the President role for the next 12 months.
Winning two Irish Senior Cups as a player for Brigade Cricket Club, William began his cricket career with Foyle College at underage level. He went on to play for Creevedonnell Cricket Club in Derry/Londonderry, then moved on to Brigade Cricket Club in 1982, playing under the legendary Roy Torrens. He eventually replaced Roy as captain of the club following Roy’s retirement.
William was fortunate to have played in an incredible five Irish Senior Cup Finals, winning two of them – in 1996 against Leinster and 1999 against Limavady. He said:
“All those finals were very special to me and, of course, to Brigade Cricket Club.”
In 2001 William retired from the game as a player and became involved as a North West selector and as a Representative on the Irish Cricket Union’s Cricket Committee. He was appointed Irish Selector for the North West for the duration of Adrian Birrell’s tenure as Ireland Coach, and for two seasons with Phil Simmons.
After being announced as the new Cricket Ireland President William said:
“It’s obviously a great honour for me to become President of Cricket Ireland, representing both the North West Cricket Union and being the third member from my club, Brigade, to have that honour following the late David Todd and of course, more recently, the late Roy Torrens.
“I would also like to mention Mary Sharp, who unfortunately was not in a position to take on the role of President this year. I wish Mary well and hope to see her at some point during the season.”
What is he most looking forward to about his role as President over the next 12 months?
“I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to watch both our men’s and women’s teams during the course of the coming year and, of course, to meet and chat to representatives of the opposition during those matches.
“We have a very full calendar of cricket over the next 12 months with World Cup qualification very much to the forefront. I’m looking forward to a busy and hopefully successful year both on and off the field.”
The upcoming Test match against England at Lord’s in June will also be a highlight:
“I’m really looking forward to our visit to Lord’s in a few weeks’ time for the Test match. I was present in 2019 when we bowled England out for 85 in the first innings of our previous test match. Unfortunately, we lost the match in the end, but hopefully we can go one better this time.”

IRELAND HAMMERED!
MATCH SUMMARY
Sri Lanka v Ireland, First Test match, Day Two, Galle International Stadium, Galle, 16th April 2023
Sri Lanka 591-4 (131 overs; Dimuth Karunaratne 179, Kusal Mendis 140, Curtis Campher 2-84)
Ireland 143 (52.3 overs; Lorcan Tucker 45, James McCollum 35, Harry Tector 34, Prabath Jayasuriya 7-52)
Ireland 168 (54.1 overs; Harry Tector 42, George Dockrell 32; W Mendis 4-76)
Sri Lanka won by an innings and 280 runs

The second and final Test begins on Monday, 24 April at the same venue.

Centuries from Sadeera Samarawickrama and Dinesh Chanidmal continued Sri Lanka’s dominance with the bat on day two before Ireland lost five wickets in the final session to finish the day on 117-7, trailing by 474 runs.
After starting the day on 381-4, Sri Lanka continued to pile on the runs, despite threatening Irish bowling, in particular from Mark Adair. Samarawickrama scored his maiden Test match century before Sri Lanka eventually declared on 591-6.
Harry Tector and James McCollum built a 70-run partnership in the evening session after Ireland lost two early wickets. But two wickets in two balls prompted an Ireland collapse, with three more going down before the end of play to give Prabath Jayasuriya his fifth Test five-for in ten innings.
At the beginning of the day Ireland were looking to quickly run through Sri Lanka's middle order to avoid another heavy day in the field. There were positive signs early on, as Curtis Campher sent nightwatchman Prabath Jayasuriya back in the second over of play, pinned in front lbw.
Andy McBrine also struck early, his first ball of the day claiming Dhananjaya da Silva, hit on the pad plumb in front for 12. But the home side had it pretty much all their own way from there on out.
Samarawickrama and Chandimal started their partnership with a flurry of boundaries, five coming in four overs as they took advantage of the harder new ball. Chandimal was first to his fifty, shortly after the pair had brought up the 450 milestone for their side.
Chandimal survived a review a few balls later, given not out and just clipping leg stump on impact - umpire’s call. That was to be Ireland’s last realistic chance of the innings. Samarawickrama, playing his first Test since 2017, brought up his maiden Test fifty and the team 500 with the same stroke, pushing a single into the offside in the penultimate over before lunch.
Following the theme of day one, the middle session was the most bruising for Ireland, with the sun at its hottest and the pitch with nothing in it for the quickly ageing ball. Chandimal brought his century up first, again with a boundary but through the covers this time. It was his 15th hundred in Test cricket and his fifth at Galle.
Samarawickrama brought his maiden Test ton up in the following over with back-to-back fours - the first century by a Sri Lanka wicketkeeper since 2016. The partnership between Chandimal and Samarawickrama, that finished unbeaten on 183.
At the end of the over in which Samarawickrama reached his century, Karunaratne declared with Sri Lanka on a massive 591-6. That left Ireland just over half an hour in the session to bat.
They were left 0-1 after Murray Commins was cleaned up by a peach of a first delivery from Vishwa Fernando. The ball pitched on middle stump and shaped away from Commins’ bat, snaking past his outside edge and clipping off stump
Just four balls later, Andrew Balbirnie was also on his way back to the dressing room, having been caught brilliantly by Nishan Madushka at short leg. Balbirnie had middled the ball off his pads, but straight to Madushka, who managed to parry the ball up before grasping onto it on his second attempt.
Tector and McCollom gave Ireland room to breathe, however, building a firm partnership to see them through to tea on 27-2. They continued after the break, putting on a fifty-run partnership in 17 overs and pushing on late into the session. Tector smashed a maximum off Ramesh Mendis high over long-on, the only six of the day.
Disaster struck, however, when Ireland lost three wickets in as many overs. Tector edged a drive off a tossed-up ball from Jayasuriya before Campher fell two balls later also looking for the drive. McCollum was Jayasuriya's next victim, bowled this time by a ripper of a ball which took out his off stump.
PJ Moor caught behind for 14 followed by George Dockrell lbw for two gave Jayasuriya yet another five-for and left Ireland 117-7 at the end of play. Lorcan Tucker will resume on 21 tomorrow morning, with Andy McBrine unbeaten on five.
MATCH SUMMARY
Sri Lanka v Ireland, First Test match, Day Two, Galle International Stadium, Galle, 16th April 2023
Sri Lanka 591-4 (131 overs; Dimuth Karunaratne 179, Kusal Mendis 140, Curtis Campher 2-84)
Ireland 117-7 (45 overs; James McCollum 35, Harry Tector 34, Prabath Jayasuriya 5-42)
See full scorecard

Two late wickets gave Ireland hope on an otherwise dominant day one for Sri Lanka in Galle. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis both scored centuri as the home side piled on 386 runs for the loss of four wickets.
Karunaratne won the toss and unsurprisingly elected to bat first on a placid Galle wicket. He nearly carried his bat through the day’s play, scoring his 15th Test century and putting on a big second-wicket partnership with Mendis worth 281 runs, the highest-ever Test partnership at Galle.
Ireland made two crucial breakthroughs at the end of a long day in the field however, as Mendis and then Angelo Mathews fell within three overs of each other. Mathews only lasted three balls before taking a wild swipe at a delivery from Ben White, out for his fifth Test match duck.
Sri Lanka had started positively early in the day, racing to 40-0 after the first ten overs of the Test. With minimal assistance in the pitch for the seamers, Mark Adair was into the attack early in the day but gave little respite for the Ireland fielders, Karunaratne taking two boundaries off his first over.
As the scoring rate continued to increase, Ireland found a much-needed breakthrough in the first hour. Curtis Campher took his first Test wicket with a ripper of a delivery to dismiss Nishan Madushka for 29. The ball just nipped away from an off-stump line to take the outside edge of Madushka’s bat through to Lorcan Tucker behind the stumps.
However, that was to be the last wicket for over two sessions worth of play. Karunaratne reached his half-century before lunch off 69 balls, with Mendis going into the break on 33 - 119 runs scored in the session.
The middle session was particularly bruising for Ireland as the Sri Lanka heat reached its peak. Mendis hit the first maximum of the day, smashing Andy McBrine high over long-on to bring up his half-century. The hundred partnership came up two overs later.
As Ireland toiled without success, the run rate crept back up over four again and, less than two overs after the partnership passed the 150 milestone, Karunaratne reached his hundred with a front-foot drive through cover. In four Test innings this year, Karunaratne has passed fifty in all but one of them; this was his first century since March last year against India in Bengaluru.
Mendis was also closing in on his century but would have to wait until after the interval to pass three figures. Between them, Mendis and Karunaratne scored 126 runs off 28 overs in the afternoon session. It took Mendis five balls to move from 94 to his hundred. He reached the milestone with a single to backward point, having ramped Mark Adair to the boundary for four off the previous delivery.
The two batters continued their march deep into the evening session, bringing up the 200-run stand by taking ten runs of one McBrine over. After a first scare for Sri Lanka in several hours - Ireland losing a review checking a caught behind - the partnership became the highest ever in a Test at Galle. It passed the previous record of 267 set by Mohammad Ashraful and Mushfiqur Rahim for Bangladesh in 2013.
But, just as Ireland faced the realistic possibility of taking just the single wicket in the day, George Dockrell made the breakthrough. He trapped Mendis LBW looking for the sweep – the review from Mendis showed all three reds to give Dockrell some reward after he conceded 59 runs from his previous ten overs.
Two overs later, and Ireland had their third. Mathews chased a short and wide delivery from Ben White, the ball taking a feather from his top edge and through to the keeper. A bonus for the tourists at the end of a difficult day
Karunaratne’s extraordinary innings also came to an end before the close of play. He was caught behind for 179, playing the shot of a batter who’d been at the crease all day, wafting his bat outside off and finding a nick.
Ireland will resume on Day Two looking to run through Sri Lanka's middle order to build on a positive end to the day.
MATCH SUMMARY
Sri Lanka v Ireland, First Test match, Day One, Galle International Stadium, Galle, 16 April 2023
Sri Lanka 386-4 (88 overs; Dimuth Karunaratne 179, Kusal Mendis 140, Curtis Campher 1-44)

Ireland Men succumb to battling seven-wicket defeat to Bangladesh

Bangladesh put a halt to Ireland’s third-day fightback on the fourth and final day of the one-off Test between the sides, securing a seven-wicket win in the second session of the day.
Ireland made 259 for the loss of just four wickets across day three, recovering from 27-4 to spark hopes of an unlikely triumph. Andy McBrine was key to their hopes overnight, resuming unbeaten on 71 having entered at 123-6.
However, he was only able to add one to his overnight score, with Ireland losing two wickets for six runs on the final morning. Ebadot Hossain did the damage, sending McBrine’s off-stump cartwheeling before nicking off Graham Hume. Ireland’s 292 was the best total made by a side who had been 15-4 or worse.
That left Bangladesh needing 138 to win, but their promotion of Litton Das, sent to blitz some quick early runs, was a sign of a wearing pitch where survival wasn’t easy.
He hit 23 off 19 before becoming the first wicket to fall, a sharp bouncer from Mark Adair in the fifth over hitting Das in the helmet and rebounding onto the stumps. One brought two, with Najmul Hossain Shanto undone by McBrine. He extracted some extra bounce to take the edge, captain Andrew Balbirnie completing a low catch at slip which was confirmed on review.
With the target still nearly 100 runs away and two wickets falling in succession, Irish fans were just starting to dream once more, with growing encouragement audible in the field. However, Mushfiqur Rahim took the game away from Ireland for the second time in the Test. He finished unbeaten on 51 off 48 balls, taking Bangladesh to a seven-wicket win, with Tamim Iqbal the only other wicket to fall, miscuing a pull shot off Ben White for Murray Commins to cling on to a steepler.
While Ireland is still searching for a maiden Test win, the game will be fondly remembered for many reasons. McBrine claimed Ireland’s first men’s Test six-for in the first innings before showing his value with the bat, while Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker both shone on their long-format bows, the former making two half-centuries and the latter becoming just the sixth Test wicketkeeper in history to make a century on debut.
Ireland’s Test schedule continues against Sri Lanka, with a two-match series beginning on April 16.

MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland 214 (77.2 overs; Harry Tector 50, Lorcan Tucker 37, Taijul Islam 5-58)
Bangladesh 369 (80.3 overs; Mushfiqur Rahim 126, Shakib Al Hasan 87, Andy McBrine 6-118)
Ireland 292 (116 overs; Lorcan Tucker 108, Andy McBrine 72, Taijul Islam 4-90)
Bangladesh 138-3 (27.1 overs; Mushfiqur Rahim 51*, Tamim Iqbal 31; Mark Adair 1-30)
Bangladesh won by seven wickets

Brilliant Tucker century, half-centuries to Tector and McBrine revive Irish chances

Lorcan Tucker scored a masterful century as Ireland piled on the runs to end day three with a lead of 131 runs over Bangladesh in Mirpur.
Having been staring down the barrel of an innings defeat on day two, Ireland’s middle-order were imperious as they batted out the day and finished on 286-8, having been 51-5 in the morning session. Harry Tector scored a second half-century of the match and Andy McBrine became the third Ireland batter to register a maiden Test half-century in the match as he ended the day on 71*.
The records tumbled while Tucker was at the crease, first building an Ireland record fifth-wicket partnership with Tector before putting on 111 with McBrine - the second-highest partnership ever for Ireland in Tests.
Tucker’s 108 was also the second-highest Test score for Ireland. He joins Kevin O’Brien as the only two players to have scored Test centuries for Ireland.
After a solid start to the day which saw PJ Moor and Tector see out the first 14 overs without the loss of a wicket, Shoriful Islam found the breakthrough for Bangladesh. A loose shot from Moor provided keeper Litton Das with a simple catch to deepen Ireland’s collapse from the night before. They still needed 104 to force Bangladesh to bat again.
From there onwards, however, Ireland dominated the day’s play. Tector continued to look as assured at the crease as he did on day one, punishing some wayward bowling from Shoriful to pick up consecutive boundaries towards the end of the morning session. Tucker joined in on the attack, hammering back-to-back fours off Edabot Hossain before the lunch break.
Tector reached his half-century with a thick outside edge off Khaled Ahmed just after the interval. He bettered his first innings score by six runs before he was pinned plumb in front by Taijul Islam. Despite opting for the review, ball tracking showed three reds to send him on his way and bring McBrine to the crease.
At that point, Tucker had reached 40 off 72 balls, both batters matching each other to attack the bowlers as the pitch deadened out. With Tector gone, Tucker took centre stage. He reached his maiden fifty off 82 balls before whacking a six over long-on off Mehidy Hasan Miraz two balls later.
The boundaries continued to flow - Tucker gave Ireland the lead with a four off Taijul before McBrine smashed a six back over the bowler’s head in the same over.
Tucker ended the session on 88, tantalizingly close to a Test century but having turned the match on its head. 106 runs came in the 27 overs after lunch, with Ireland’s lead approaching fifty. Bangladesh were hampered by what was seemingly an injury to Shakib Al Hasan which prevented him from bowling for a large part of the day.
It took Tucker just three overs after the break to register his hundred, getting to the milestone with a cover drive to the boundary. The shot made him the first Ireland Test centurion in almost five years, O’Brien having scored the only other Ireland Test century against Pakistan in 2018.
The hundred partnership with McBrine came up in the same over, Tucker dancing down the wicket to hammer another boundary down the ground. He couldn’t go on to challenge O’Brien’s record, however, smashing a half-volley from Hossain straight to extra cover to end his innings for 108.
McBrine saw Ireland through to the close of play, despite the loss of Mark Adair late in the evening. He brought up his maiden Test fifty off a waist-high full toss from Shakib, which he steered to the fine-leg boundary for four. Along with Graham Hume, he plundered a string of boundaries as the day came to a close, finishing unbeaten on 71.
Ireland will resume tomorrow sensing an opportunity for a first Test match victory, Bangladesh still needing two wickets to end the Irish innings with the lead approaching 150.

MATCH SUMMARY
Bangladesh v Ireland, Only Test match, Day Three, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, 5th April 2023
Ireland 214 (77.2 overs; Harry Tector 50, Lorcan Tucker 37, Taijul Islam 5-58)
Bangladesh 369 (80.3 overs; Mushfiqur Rahim 126, Shakib Al Hasan 87, Andy McBrine 6-118)
Ireland 286-8 (107 overs; Lorcan Tucker 108, Andy McBrine 71*, Taijul Islam 4-86)
Ireland lead by 131 runs

IRELAND ON THE NOOSE
Bangladesh quickly responded on the second day after they lost a couple of wickets late on the first day. The hosts reached 369 to put them into a strong position but to make things worse Ireland lost four wickets late in the day to face an impossible task to win the game. The next few batsmen will determine the outcome in the third day to see if they can avoid an innings defeat. On the plus side Andy McBrine's six wickets were impressive and Ireland will hope he's just impressive at batting.
Roll on tomorrow!

MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland 214 and 27/4 (17 overs; PJ Moor 10*, H Tector 8*; T Islam 2-7, Shakib Al Hasan 2-11)
Bangladesh 369 (80.3 overs: Mushfiqur Rahim 126, Shakib-Al-Hasan 87, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 56*, Litton Das 43; A McBrine 6-118, Mark Adair 2-64, B White 2-72)

Honours even in Dhaka after Tector fifty, late wickets
A record fourth-wicket stand of 74, a maiden Test half-century from debutant Harry Tector and two late-in-the-day wickets helped Ireland Men grab the momentum – and a lead of 180 runs - heading into Day Two of this one-off Test match against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
Lorcan Tucker, Curtis Campher and Mark Adair also contributed with the bat as Ireland posted 214 from their first innings, while a wicket with the final ball of the day – from Andy McBrine – has ensured that Ireland go into Day Two in buoyant mood.
Tector was one of seven Ireland Test debutants, along with Murray Commins, Campher, Tucker, PJ Moor, Graham Hume, and Ben White.
Opting to bat first after winning first toss as Test captain, Andrew Balbirnie found himself in the middle in just the fifth over of the day, as Murray Commins was trapped in front by a ball tailing in from Shoriful Islam. Commins’ opening partner James McCollum was also dismissed within the first 10 overs, edging a lifting delivery from Ebadot Hossain to slip, where it was taken after some brief juggling.
Together with Harry Tector, Balbirnie saw off the rest of the Bangladesh seamers’ new ball burst, and the introduction of spin initially proved fruitful for the visitors. An on-drive for four off the left-arm spin of Taijul Islam accounted for Tector’s first Test runs, and the following over the 23-year-old lofted Mehidy Hasan Miraz back over his head for six.
Bangladesh’s spinners were not rattled by Tector’s stroke-making however, and Taijul removed Balbirnie with the score still on just 48. Encouraged to play the sweep shot by some aggressive field placements, the Ireland captain couldn’t quite get his pad outside the line of off-stump and departed as the second LBW victim of the innings.
Tector and Curtis Campher set about rebuilding, and reached lunch without further incident. The pair quickly added significantly to the score, with boundaries coming on a regular basis. They brought up the 50-run partnership from 80 balls, Ireland’s first half-century stand for the fourth wicket in Tests. The next three overs added a further 21 runs and saw Harry Tector reach 50 in his maiden Test innings, the first player to do so for Ireland in men’s Tests.
The celebrations were short-lived though. Mehidy and Khaled Ahmed rebuilt the pressure that had been relieved with a couple of accurate overs, and Tector fell victim to the former as he tried to work a ball from outside off into the leg side. His 50 runs came off 92 balls, with six fours and one six.
With the breakthrough made, Taijul returned to the attack and in his first over removed PJ Moor thanks to a mishit shot taken at mid-off. The left-armer’s second over saw the back of Campher for 34, beaten on the inside edge by one that slid on with the arm, to leave Ireland stumbling having fallen from 122-3 to 124-6.
Lorcan Tucker set about rebuilding, first with Andrew McBrine and then Mark Adair after the Ireland spinner was bounced out by Ebadot for 19. With the score just one run shy of the 200-mark, Tucker fell for 37 as he looked to add to his three boundaries. His attempted sweep against Taijul saw him drag his back foot well outside of the crease, providing keeper Litton Das ample opportunity to complete a stumping.
Adair was pinned plumb in front not long after as Taijul completed his five-wicket haul, ending with figures of 5-58. Mehidy clean bowled Graham Hume less than an over later to end the Ireland innings on 214.
Bangladesh’s reply was dealt an early blow when Najmul Hossain Shanto was bowled off the inside edge by Mark Adair from the fifth ball of the innings. Tamim Iqbal and Mominul Haque appeared to have survived the remaining over, but McBrine found enough turn and bounce with the final delivery of day one to take Tamim’s edge. The hosts will resume on 34-2 tomorrow at 10am local time, trailing by 180 runs.
MATCH SUMMARY
Bangladesh v Ireland, Test match Day 1, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 4 April 2023
Ireland 214 (77.2 overs; Harry Tector 50, Lorcan Tucker 37, Taijul Islam 5-58)
Bangladesh 34-2 (10 overs; Tamim Iqbal 21, Mominul Haque 12; Mark Adair 1-3)
Ireland lead by 180 runs

IRELAND BOUNCE BACK
Paul Stirling and Matthew Humphreys starred to give Ireland a seven-wicket victory in their final white-ball match in Bangladesh.
Humphreys took two wickets in his first three balls on T20I debut as Ireland bowled Bangladesh out for 124. In a standout performance with the ball, all seven of Ireland’s bowlers contributed to the wicket tally, Bangladesh falling four balls short of batting their 20 overs.
Paul Stirling then knocked off the bulk of the runs with the bat, scoring 77 off 41 as Ireland chased down their target with six overs to spare. The result was Ireland’s first-ever win over Bangladesh on home soil - a significant turnaround on a white-ball tour in which the hosts have dominated with bat and ball.
In stark contrast to the fast starts made in the first two matches of the series, Bangladesh capitulated in the powerplay having elected to bat first. Looking to be aggressive up front once more, four out of the first five wickets to fall were caught in the deep on the leg side as the batters looked to clear the rope.
Litton Das picked out George Dockrell on the boundary off Mark Adair’s first ball, and Harry Tector struck at the end of the next over to dismiss Najmul Hossain Shanto. After he juggled the catch off Shanto in the deep - nearly dropping it before clinging on with his second grab - Curtis Campher joined the wicket-taking ranks by dismissing Rony Talukdar, leaving Bangladesh 24-3 at the end of the fourth over.
Despite a short boundary blitz from Towhid Hridoy, the wickets continued to tumble. Mark Adair picked up his second with the penultimate ball of the powerplay, Shakib Al Hasan playing a loose shot to give Ben White a dolly at midwicket before White got in on the act himself. He dismissed Hridoy looking to continue his attack, Tector taking another easy catch.
Humphreys stole the bowling show, however, sending down a memorable first over in T20I cricket. He cleaned up fellow T20I debutant Rishad Hossain with his first delivery - the 25th bowler in history to take a wicket with the first ball of their T20I career - the ball cannoning into leg stump as Hridoy looked to heave over long-on. He struck again two balls later to dismiss Taskin Ahmed, caught at deep midwicket once again by Campher and finished his first over with figures of 2-3.
Humphreys’ over marked the halfway point in Bangladesh’s innings, with the hosts in an unfamiliar position in the series at 64-7. A steady maiden T20I half-century off 40 balls from Shamim Hossain dragged the hosts past the three-figure mark. He was the final batter to fall, giving a catch to backward square-leg off Fionn Hand to ensure all seven of Ireland’s bowlers had a mark in the wickets column.
Set 125 to chase, Paul Stirling led the march to a well-deserved victory. Despite the loss of Ross Adair and Lorcan Tucker in the powerplay, he powered Ireland forward, hitting five boundaries in the first six overs of the innings.
He reached his 22nd T20I half-century off 31 balls before unleashing a flurry of boundaries to accelerate towards the target. Shoriful Islam was hit for four consecutive boundaries by Stirling immediately after he reached his fifty, starting with a huge six over fine leg before he scooped a full ball for four over the same boundary.
Stirling was finally dismissed going for another maximum down the ground, caught in the deep by Shanto off Rishad Hossain, but the damage had already been done. Campher finished the match with a six to complete a dominant victory for Ireland.
Having lost the T20I series 2-1, the only Test match of the tour will begin next week on Tuesday, 4 April in Dhaka.
MATCH SUMMARY
Bangladesh v Ireland, 3rd T20I, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram, 31 March 2023
Bangladesh 124 (19.2 overs; Shamim Hossain 51, Rony Talukdar 14, Mark Adair 3-25)
Ireland 126--3 (14 overs; Paul Stirling 77, Curtis Campher 16, Rishad Hossain 1-19)
Ireland won by seven wickets

Ireland will need a victory in the second match of the series on Monday to stay in the series.
MATCH SUMMARY
Bangladesh Men v Ireland Men,1st ODI, Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, 18 March 2023
Bangladesh 338-8 (50 overs; Shakib Al Hasan 93, Towhid Hridoy 92, Graham Hume 4-60)
Ireland 155 (30.5 overs; George Dockrell 45, Stephen Doheny 34, Edabot Hossain 4-42)
Bangladesh won by 183 runs

Belfast’s CIYMS set off in search of European glory

2022 Clear Currency All-Ireland T20 Cup winners CIYMS depart today for Malaga in southern Spain to take part in the 2023 European Cricket League (ECL) as Irish cricket’s representative club – and captain John Matchett says the excitement for this adventure has been building nicely.
With up to seven T10 matches scheduled to be played over the next three days, the Belfast-based club will be hoping to win through the first round and into Championship Week, starting on Monday 20 March.
THE COMPETITION
The ECL is a T10 competition played at the Cartama Oval in Malaga, featuring 30 teams from across Europe in six groups of five teams.
CIYMS have been drawn in Group F, alongside Ariana KIF (Sweden), Oerias (Portugal), Istanbul KSK (Turkey), and Punjab Lions Nicosia (Cyprus).
All teams will play four games in the group stages. Four teams qualify to the next stage, with the fourth-placed side playing the third-placed team in Eliminator One. The winner moves on to Qualifier Two. In Qualifier One, first and second in the group face off against each other, with the winner moving into the final, while the loser faces the winner of Eliminator One for the chance to meet the winner of Qualifier One in the final.
More details on the tournament can be found on the European Cricket Network’s website here.
It’s a massive week for the club, heading overseas to represent both CIYMS and Irish cricket.,
CIYMS get their campaign underway with a game against Ariana KIF of Sweden tomorrow morning, Thursday 16 March at 10.30am (Ireland time).
CIYMS SQUAD
Adam Heasley, Adam Kennedy, Allen Coulter, Angus Farrell, Carson McCullough, Chris Robinson, Christopher Dougherty, Jack Beattie, Jacob Mulder, Jason van der Merwe, John Matchett (capt), Mark Best, Oliver Topping.
Team Manager: Richard Heasley
FIXTURES
16 March: CIYMS v Ariana KIF (10.30am Ireland time)
16 March: CIYMS v Oeiras (2.30pm Ireland time)
17 March: CIYMS v Istanbul KSK (12.30pm Ireland time)
17 March: CIYMS v Punjab Lions Nicosia (6.30pm Ireland time)
18 March: Eliminator 1, Qualifiers 1&2 plus Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK (should CIYMS qualify)
Teams will play matches from 20-23 March, with the Eliminator and Final on 24 March.