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Gary Wilson: “It’s a really well-balanced group”

Assistant Coach discusses Bangladesh tour planning and expectations

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Ireland Men’s Assistant Head Coach, Gary Wilson, has been discussing planning around the two Ireland Men’s squads travelling to Bangladesh for two test matches and three T20Is next month.

The press conference was held on the day the two squads were announced, with Wilson answering a range of questions, including:

Stephen Doheny’s selection in the Test squad:

“Stephen has improved a lot over the last 18 months and has been quietly going about his work behind the scenes. He was given certain things to work on throughout the year and we really feel Stephen has worked on those and improved. There’s that coupled with the three domestic hundreds he scored this year, if I’m not mistaken. Stephen has put his hand up and hopefully he will get his opportunity to show what he can do for Ireland.”

The balance of the Test squad:

“It will be brilliant to see how those guys will fare. I think Cade Carmichael, in particular, is really suited to the longer form of the game, and I’m really looking forward to see how someone like Gavin Hoey goes in Asian conditions. You know, he really came into his own on that Wolves trip back in March and April. He captained the side and as the trip progressed, he really progressed as well.“

Tim Tector’s selection in the T20I squad and how they see his role:

“We definitely see Tim as a top-order batter. Whenever he came into the squad for the series against West Indies there were quite a few middle order players out so we had to go with a different middle order. We had no Gareth Delany or Curtis Campher at that time, and. Ben Callitz was unavailable as that was just after he had his appendix out.

“So, Stephen Doheny and Tim Tector had to cover for the middle order which really wasn’t ideal. Then, obviously Tim missed out on selection for the England T20I series, which was tough because I’ve seen how well he’s done, and I’ve seen how much he’s improved in the last 18 months. So there was never any doubt that Tim was always going to be next in line for the top of the order. The fact that we’ve now got 15 in the squad means we have got cover for quite a few eventualities. There’s cover for the top order, middle order cover, spin bowling cover and seam bowling cover. So it’s a really well-balanced group and I’m delighted to see Tim Tector back involved.“

Cade Carmichael’s return after suffering from a concussion while fielding in the All Ireland Men’s T20 Final:

“Cade has fully recovered. He was back in the gym two weeks ago and having his first bat this week. He’s chomping at the bit and raring to go.”

How Ben Calitz went on T20I debut against England:

“I think Ben can be pretty happy. He came in at a time where there where a few wickets had fallen. I thought he showed quite good composure. Ben then went to his options early which is something we spoke about. No doubt, he’ll take a lot from it as well. He’s already spoken about how he wants to attack the next three or four weeks before hopping on the plane. So, Ben can be relatively pleased with his first performance.“

Preparation before they arrive in Bangladesh:

“We have a really important seven days in the UAE before we get to Bangladesh. We saw how beneficial that was to us the last time before we went to Zimbabwe, and no doubt that will be equally as important this time around.“

SQUADS

Ireland Men – Test Squad

Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Curtis Campher, Cade Carmichael, Stephen Doheny, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Liam McCarthy, Paul Stirling, Jordan Neil, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young

Ireland Men – T20I Squad

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

FIXTURES

The tour fixtures are: