WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA: Back playing at the highest level after a spate of injuries, Ireland’s Jordan Neill wants to take advantage of any opportunity to improve, on and off the field.
Jordan Neill seemed to sail into international cricket. Receiving his first cap from former Ireland international Stuart Thompson, the wide-eyed 19-year-old had the look of someone who didn’t quite know how they got there but was happy to be along for the ride.
Neill made his debut in an ODI against West Indies in May 2025 and the truth was that he had worked very hard to adapt his game and find a way to the top level, changing from a batting all-rounder who bowled a bit of off-spin to a medium-fast bowling all-rounder.
The dream start took a turn early when during that debut match, Neill looked to save a four. He managed to stop the boundary but, in the process, he injured his shoulder and didn’t get to finish the game.
A fresh start
Fast forward 18 months and Neill finds himself in Namibia – one of the three hosts for the 2027 Cricket World Cup – preparing for a five-match ODI series. The bilateral series against Namibia is taking place in Windhoek a year out from that tournament, and it feels like a starting point for Ireland Men as their focus turns towards a return to the 50-over World Cup.
“With the World Cup coming up this time next year, and Namibia in particular co-hosting and especially with the need to qualify in February, it’s definitely something that we’re all pushing towards.
“With the way things have gone with injuries to players this past six months, there have generally been a few spots up for grabs if guys put their hands up. This tour probably gives players an opportunity to try and get settled going into those qualifiers early next year. Firstly, it’s just great to get more 50-over cricket in, and then secondly, to try and balance out the side the way the coaches would want going forward.”
Learning to overcome adversity
Neill is one of the players who will be trying to prove he is worth a spot in the playing XI. After that initial injury, he played two Test matches in Bangladesh in October 2025, but then injuries plagued the tall seamer.
“When we got to the pre-season for the 2026 season, I had inflammation in my knee, so I was trying to get back from that, and I was on steroid tablets. Those dropped my calcium levels so then I was coming back from that, and I was trying to get myself back and ready for the New Zealand Test match in May.
“I think it was the last training session before the four-day game that was being played in preparation for the Test, and I had two overs to go in my session. Gary (Wilson) was standing umpire and I was like, ‘Gary, like I’m stuffed, I can’t move’. My foot was sore and my ankle was sore and my pec was sore. I went for scans and I came back with a minor stress fracture on the top of my foot and then a stress reaction in my ankle – same side, and then a torn muscle just under my pectoral.”
So, Jordan went from pushing for selection in a Test match to playing no cricket at any level for most of the season.
“It’s never easy,” he admits. “There were definitely times where I was a bit down in the dumps. All the excitement from the first West Indies game (in 2025) was there. I was just a kid at that point, I just wanted to play and I was surrounded by all these big dogs. I think I managed to take a little bit out of playing that game before I got injured. Then I was sort of away from the game a bit and it gives you a bit of time to reflect.
“Coming back that October, it was almost like even more of a throwing into the deep end kind of thing because you’ve got to swim in Bangladesh. I think it’s probably one of the hardest places to go as a fast bowler. I was very excited for the New Zealand Test at the beginning of this summer. I felt that, with having played the Bangladesh games, maybe I would have a shot to get in there for that match, so I really had the hopes up. But then I was hit with injury again and that was tough, especially being a Belfast boy, it would have been nice to play in front of everyone. But I would be a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so I’ve learned now to sort of accept these things. And I think I’d also rather have that happen earlier on in my career than later on – learning to deal with injury and setback. And it definitely does just make you a bit hungrier to come back harder.”
The comeback
A full 447 days after he played that first ODI against West Indies, Jordan Neill took to the field in the dark green kit once more to play his second ODI for Ireland and his fourth international match overall.
“It is crazy to look back. From 19 to 21 years old, I’ve hardly played, whether it be international cricket, club cricket, interprovincial cricket. I feel like I’ve learned a lot just from experiences and exposure. You’re constantly trying to learn as much as possible, constantly trying to develop, but at the end of the day, you
need to play. So, this is a good opportunity for me to try to get some games under my belt. I mean, there’s been a lot of backing from the coaching staff with me, even just picking me for that first match. So yes, it would be nice to get a couple of games and maybe try to show why it was that they backed me from so early on.”
The future
So much and so little has happened in the international career of Jordan Neill since that blustery day in Clontarf when a teenage Neill contemplated bowling at the likes of Shai Hope and Evin Lewis. Putting injuries behind him, we switch focus from the year gone by to the one coming up. Though there are a lot of familiar names in the squad right now, there have also been plenty of opportunities across formats for new players in the men’s team in the last six months. Add to that some new faces in the coaching staff and an elevation for Gary Wilson to head coach, and every player will be looking to make an impression at this important juncture.
“It’s obviously quite a settled side already. But in any team, you would have to think that there will be opportunities if guys put their hands up. Gary has been the assistant ever since I’ve been involved with the senior side, and he was always someone everyone looks up to, so with him taking a step up to the head coach role this summer, it doesn’t really feel like much has changed in a player-coach relationship. There have been a few new appointments of staff and Gary has changed a couple of things in the way that we view things and has given it a new perspective.
“These next five games are very important for everyone; the guys who are more cemented in the side need to get quality game time and try to iron out a few things, and for the squad in general they need to look at combinations and how they work together moving forward.
“Under Gary, the mentality is very much that we want to win every game of cricket we play. We respect every team no matter who they are, so whether it’s Namibia, Zimbabwe, India, England, we want to win. And we’re going to do everything we can to win. I think that needs to be the mentality.
“Our top six seems pretty settled; there are quite a few senior players in there. In the bowling sense, there has been a lot of change in the last six months with some very good players out with injury at various times and a few guys coming on the Wolves trip returning from injury, so there could be opportunities from that aspect. So, I’d say the focus is a really good run out for the bowlers, spending time on-field in warm conditions and for the batters to get a good bit of time in the middle is ideal.”
Present focus
Focus right now for Neill in particular is proving himself as a bowler, but in the future his ambition is to be recognised as an out-and-out all-rounder. Batting was his stronger suit growing up, and there is no better place to keep working on that element of his game than in the international set-up. Newly minted batting coach Ed Joyce is somebody that Neill looks forward to working with.
“Ed has been great since coming in. I think he brings a very unique look to the way we go about things. He’s not very in the box, per se. Everyone goes about things, in a batting sense, differently, and he’s not scared to differ from the norm which I think is pretty cool.”
Batting, for now, will play second fiddle should Neill retain his spot after he played the fifth match against Afghanistan in Ireland’s five-match series in August. Bowling is at the forefront and it’s all about adapting to high-altitude conditions in Namibia.
“From a bowling perspective, we have an idea of what might happen on the first game. It’s a 9.30am start (8.30am in Ireland), so whoever wins the toss might reasonably decide to bowl first and try to get as much out of the wicket as they can in the first hour. But Boyd (Rankin, bowling coach) was very much saying that it is all about adapting to the conditions as quickly as possible and trying to be smart with the way we go about things.
“We’ve got plenty of senior players and everyone knows who they are, but as a bowler, you are the one who has to actually go and bowl the ball. The captain might set the field, but at the end of the day, you’re the one who needs to go out there and do it, so a big part of the responsibility does lie on the bowler. That being said, there are pretty clear communication channels on whether the ball is swinging, whether it’s nipping, whether you need to bowl a bit fuller, a bit shorter, so you would be constantly communicating.”
It’s been a long wait for Neill to play an ODI away from home. Now, with the injuries behind him, he’ll be looking to stake his claim in the 50-over format and show just how far he has come since that wide-eyed teenager took to the field in Clontarf all those months ago.
