Cleaver, Bracewell handed NZ debuts as Ireland bowl first

By Chris On Jul 18, 2022

Toss Ireland opt to bowl vs New Zealand

Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie won the toss in the 1st T20I and chose to field first under warm, sunny conditions in Belfast. New Zealand handed a debut to wicketkeeper-batter Dane Cleaver and allrounder Michael Bracewell in the format.

With key players rested by New Zealand for their T20 tour of Ireland, and Scotland and Netherlands to follow, it will be yet another opportunity for Ireland to get a win after coming close but faltering in the end twice during the ODI series.

Jacob Duffy, the right-arm seamer who last played a T20I against Bangladesh in 2021, is expected to share the new ball with Lockie Ferguson. New Zealand have gone with two spin options in Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, and the fifth-bowler quota of overs is expected to be filled between Bracewell – the hero from the first ODI – and James Neesham. Martin Guptill and Finn Allen will open the batting, with Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell and Cleaver wrapping up the middle order.

For Ireland, right-arm seamers Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy and Craig Young are expected to bowl their full quota, while left-arm seamer Joshua Little will provide the variation. The pitch report suggested that the warm conditions have also brought some cracks in the surface. No team at Belfast has lost after scoring 140 or more in T20Is.

Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (capt), Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young, Joshua Little

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Finn Allen, Dane Cleaver (wk), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy

For all the latest Sports News Click Here

Read original article here

Denial of responsibility! TechAI is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.