Uncapped Legspinner Gavin Hoey Earns Maiden Ireland Test Call-Up

Uncapped legspinner Gavin Hoey has received his maiden call-up to the Ireland squad for the upcoming one-off Test against Zimbabwe, which begins on July 25 in Belfast. He joins a spin attack that includes left-arm fingerspinner Matthew Humphreys and offspinner Andy McBrine.

Humphreys and Hoey, who have just one Test cap between them, replace Theo van Woerkom and George Dockrell. Seamer Matthew Foster, who was part of the Ireland squad that toppled Afghanistan for their first Test win in March earlier this year, also didn't find a place in this squad.

Humphreys had a tough initiation into Test cricket, conceding 67 runs in ten overs on debut against Sri Lanka in Galle last year. However, his recent form is more encouraging: he bagged 15 wickets in two first-class games for Ireland Emerging side against West Indies Academy at an average of 12.60, including two five-wicket hauls, last month.

"Humphreys made his Test debut in Sri Lanka and found the going difficult against good players of spin out in the subcontinent," Andrew White, the national selector, said in a statement. "He'd admit himself that he went through a period of a loss of form and maybe a loss of confidence, but he's worked extremely hard to come back into the reckoning and his performances for Ireland Wolves have been exactly what we were looking for."

White also talked up Hoey as an attacking option. "Hoey is a talented legspinner, and his ability to spin the ball both ways gives us a strong wicket-taking option," he said. "Again, he's a player that's been on the radar for a while and can play across all three formats. But this is an opportunity for him to come into the Test squad and get used to the environment."

Left-arm quick Josh Little, who is currently with LA Knight Riders in the USA for the MLC, is a notable absentee from the Test squad. Little has prioritized white-ball cricket, including franchise opportunities, but is passionate about playing Test cricket in the future. While Little is now a regular in T20 leagues around the world, he is yet to make his Test debut.

"I sort of blocked off this [next] two years as pretty busy franchise-wise, and then after that I'll be putting an eye on Test cricket," Little told BBC Sport. "It's definitely something I want to do, something I'm passionate about doing. I can guarantee I will play Test cricket at some stage."

The one-off Test against Zimbabwe will be PJ Moor's first international game against his country of birth. Moor had qualified to play for Ireland in October 2022 and was more recently part of the Ireland side, which earned their first Test win, in Abu Dhabi.

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