Andrew Balbirnie, a talented middle-order batsman who's a product of Ireland Under-19s, captained the squad in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup but had a disastrous outing as he scored only 31 runs from 5 games in the tournament. Prior to that, he progressed through age-group cricket. He was later a member of Ireland's 2010 ICC World Cricket League Division One winning team. His ODI debut came in the same year against Scotland where he was dismissed cheaply for 1 in a low scoring game and it was only in 2014 that Balbirnie transformed himself into a more reliable batter for Ireland.

After getting his degree from Cardiff University, Balbirnie signed up with Middlesex. He was fantastic during the 2015 Cricket World Cup acclimatisation tour of Australia and New Zealand, finishing as one of Ireland's top run-scorers. Playing against New Zealand A in Dubai, Balbirnie went berserk, hitting 129 off just 96 balls against an intimidating bowling attack which consisted of the likes of Kyle Mills, Doug Bracewell, Adam Milne and Matt Henry.

And that confidence rubbed on to him as he tallied 236 runs with a strike-rate of more than 90, third-highest for Ireland, in the 2015 World Cup from 6 games. Ireland punched above their weight in the tournament and started off their campaign brilliantly, winning their first two games against West Indies and UAE respectively, only to squander the form as they managed just one win in their next four games and missed out on qualification for the next round. But Balbarnie was the find of the World Cup for Ireland, emerging as the third-highest run-scorer for his team with 236 runs. He made his presence felt with a stubborn knock of 97 against Zimbabwe in Hobart and established himself as a vital cog in Ireland's wheel.

Injuries are part and parcel of a cricketer's career. Balbirnie suffered a career-threatening injury after aggravating his hip during the T20 World Cup in India in 2016 that kept him out of action for the most part of that season. To rub salt into the wounds, Middlesex parted ways with him after five seasons after he had played just two first-class games, three List A games and seven T20s for the club.

Almost a year later, Balbirnie made an inspiring comeback into the national side and struck a quickfire half-century which propelled Ireland to a series win against UAE. It was only upwards for him from there as he scored his maiden FC ton in the Intercontinental Cup in August 2017. In 2018, Balbirnie was named in Ireland’s squad for their first ever Test match, a game against Pakistan on home soil at Malahide. Balbirnie, however historic the occasion may have been, had an outing to forget as he bagged a pair.

Fast forward to 2019, however, Balbirnie kept churning out runs in all formats and had established himself in Ireland’s setup. With William Porterfield and Gary Wilson stepping away from captaincy in late-2019, Balbirnie, who’d already led Ireland on occasions previously, was handed the reins in all formats.

Balbirnie was at the forefront of two of Ireland’s best wins in recent years. Starring with the bat and scoring a superb century, Balbirnie led Ireland to their first ODI win over South Africa in 2021. Somewhat emulating their historic win over England at the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Ireland went on to edge past their neighbours across the Irish Sea in the 2022 T20 World Cup as well and Balbirnie was at the helm of that effort with a 47-ball 62.

Leading by example and inspiring a new generation of Irish superstars, Balbirnie has been at the crux of Ireland’s setup as they continue their transition from an ambitious associate nation to an established Test playing one.

by Sonali Dhulap, Kumar Abhisekh Das, Sriram AS and Anurag Hegde