Stirling to lead Ireland in T20 World Cup

For the second T20 World Cup in a row, veteran batter Paul Sterling will lead Ireland. As many as 12 of the 15 players picked for the showpiece event were part of the tournament two years ago that was played in the USA and West Indies.

Squad:Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker (vc), Ben White, Craig Young

"To say we are very much looking forward to this T20 World Cup is an under-statement. After a memorable 2022 tournament, we probably weren't at our best in 2024 - and have been waiting to rectify that ever since," Ireland's national men's team selector Andrew White said.

Another player from the Tector family - Tim - has found a spot in the squad. The 22-year-old is a top-order batter who can also bowl off-spin. The 23-year-old left-handed middle-order batter Ben Calitz has also found a spot, as has Matthew Humphreys, the 23-year-old left-arm spinner.

"The last 18 months have been used to test a number of different options in tactics, roles and combinations and we are happy with where the squad is at going into the tournament. That 12 of the 15 players from the 2024 campaign are in this squad also demonstrates that we have a fairly settled squad, however, we have also been able to begin to integrate some exciting new talent - such as Tim Tector, Ben Calitz and Matthew Humphreys - and they add a further dynamic nature to the playing group," White said.

Ireland are placed in Group B alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman and Zimbabwe. Their campaign begins with a game against Sri Lanka on February 8 in Colombo. All their league games are in Sri Lanka.

"We have played a fair bit in this part of the world in the last few years, so we will be in a good position to plan and prepare thoroughly, and be ready for the challenge when the time comes," White added.