Ireland’s home series has been put on hold due to financial constraints. Ireland’s cricket governing body Cricket Ireland has been forced to cancel a multi-format series against Afghanistan this summer, which was due to be held in the summer. Their busy schedule this summer includes a historic tour of England’s men’s T20 team and Zimbabwe’s women’s team.
Cricket Ireland on Tuesday released its international schedule. The women’s 50-over World Cup qualifiers are also scheduled to take place between April 9 and 18, with the Ireland women’s team taking on Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Thailand and Scotland. Ireland’s women’s team will also play warm-up matches against West Indies and Bangladesh in Pakistan on April 5 and 7, with a view to playing in the main draw.
Ireland’s men’s team will play ODI and T20 series against the West Indies in May and June. They will then host a three-match T20 series against England in September.
Ireland were due to play one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is against Afghanistan under the Future Tours Programme (FTP). However, all seven matches have been cancelled. Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom said the decision was not political but financial.
He said, “For financial reasons, it is not possible to go ahead with a previously planned series. That is the series against Afghanistan. This decision is part of our short-term budget management. It is in line with our board’s policy of balancing strategic investments.
It is worth noting that Ireland has played only 10 Test matches since becoming a full member of the ICC in 2017. Of these, only two have been held at home. Their first Test victory came against Afghanistan in the UAE in 2024. This was followed by two more Test victories against Zimbabwe at home last year and on the tour of Zimbabwe last month.
In 2023, Ireland played a “home” series against South Africa in the UAE. At the time, Deutrom said that Ireland’s lack of its own permanent stadium and the high cost of setting up temporary infrastructure were forcing them to play matches abroad.
It is worth noting that in August last year, the Irish government approved the construction of a permanent international cricket stadium and high performance centre in Dublin. The first phase is planned to build a 4,000-seat main stadium and performance centre. It will be completed by 2028. The project will be used to co-host the 2030 T20 World Cup with England and Scotland.