Ireland select unchanged squad for New Zealand T20I series

Andrew Balbirnie's side are due to take on New Zealand in three T20Is and three ODIs and have kept faith with the squad which lost 2-0 to India in June

Ireland have announced an unchanged squad for their upcoming T20I series against New Zealand at Stormont, with veteran spinner Simi Singh once again missing out.

The 35-year-old has played 80 times for Ireland, taking 78 wickets in the process, but was left out of the squad to face India. And he has failed to regain his place, with Andrew McBrine preferred as Ireland's front-line spinner.

Stephen Doheny and Conor Olphert, new faces in the squad against India, are once again included.

The 14-player squad head into the series off the back off a 2-0 defeat against India but showed some very positive signs of improvement against a strong side. Andrew Balbirnie's side fell just four runs short of a mammoth 225-run chase in the second T20I.

^{Simi Singh once again misses out [Aamir Qureshi/Getty Images]}

"Naturally, the selectors are backing the players that performed well against India – the high standards we sought were delivered upon, and we hope the squad can put in similar performances against New Zealand," Andrew White, chair of national men’s selectors for Cricket Ireland, said.

"The second T20I against India was a superb spectacle for the fans, but I know the coaching staff and players were gutted not to get across the line.”

"The players should take great confidence from the past week, and we hope that this can lead to a greater consistency in performances. It would be fantastic to see the sporting public – young and not-so-young – come out in their numbers and support the team at Stormont."

Ireland will contest three T20Is against New Zealand at Stormont, following a three-match ODI series to be played at Malahide.

T20I squad v New Zealand: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Conor Olphert, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young

ODI squad v New Zealand: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young

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