Josh Little to Miss Ireland's T20I Series for IPL Commitment

Josh Little, Ireland's star fast bowler, will remain with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) until their final group match on May 16. This decision has been made with the approval of Cricket Ireland, allowing Little to miss Ireland's upcoming T20I series against Pakistan and tri-series in the Netherlands.

Little's absence from the Ireland squad is a significant blow as they prepare for the T20 World Cup in June. However, Cricket Ireland has allowed him to stay with the Titans due to his impressive performances in the IPL. In his first appearance of the season, Little took 4 for 45 against the Chennai Super Kings.

Ireland's provisional 15-man squad for the World Cup remains unchanged from the one that faced Afghanistan in their recent T20I series. The squad will face Pakistan in three T20Is, starting in Dublin on Friday, and then play a tri-series with Netherlands and Scotland from May 19-24.

Paul Stirling, Ireland's white-ball captain, will appear at his eighth successive T20 World Cup. He is the fifth-highest run-scorer in men's T20I history and has played a crucial role in Ireland's success in the tournament.

The squad has undergone minor changes since 2022, when Ireland reached the Super 12s. Ross Adair, Neil Rock, and Ben White have been added to the squad, while Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Conor Olphert, and Simi Singh have been omitted.

"The squad is one that we have gradually developed and tested out over the last 18 or so months," said Heinrich Malan, Ireland's coach. "We have an intensive block of T20 cricket coming up this month ahead of the T20 World Cup, and we will be aiming to win as many of those games as possible."

Ireland will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against India on June 5 and will face Canada, USA, and Pakistan in the group stage.

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