The Irish Climb To Test Glory - Rebuild

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

Hello and welcome to my new story, where I will be rebuilding Irish Cricket. However, I will be only playing Test Matches in this save. (I have changed PC and do not have access to my previous saves unfortunately).

We only have 2 tests in the first year of this save, both against Bangladesh in early March

Of course, there is no Test Championship, but after 2 years or so I am going to draw up what essentially is a Test World Cup, similar to the Test World Championship but it will last for only 1 year. This will happen every 2 years and we will aim to win it.

Hopefully you enjoy the journey!

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

Ireland have named an 18 man squad for the 2 Test Series v Bangladesh

Batsmen - Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, Scott MacBeth, Murray Commins, John Matchett, Jack Tector

Keepers - Lorcan Tucker, Stephen Doheny

All-Rounders - Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Simi Singh, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair

Bowlers - Josh Little, Craig Young, Barry McCarthy, Trent McKeegan

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

1st Test v Bangladesh - Dhaka

Lineups

Ireland XI - P. Stirling, M. Commins, A. Balbirnie (c), H. Tector, C. Campher, S. MacBeth, S. Doheny (+), G. Dockrell, J. Little, C. Young, T. McKeegan

Bangladesh XI - T. Iqbal, M. Hasan, A. Hasan, M. Haque, Y. Ali, T. Hridoy, M. Hossain, M. Hasan, R. Rahman, S. Islam, M. Rahman

Toss - Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat.

The first session was not one we want to remember. Apart from Trent McKeegan striking in the 11th over and picking up his first Test wicket, both Mahmudul and Amite Hasan piled on the runs and got Bangladesh to 143-1 at lunch. The rest of the day was not much different, with the only wicket being Dockrell dismissing Mahmudul Hasan for 145. On day 2, we were able to turn things around but only slightly. Amite Hasan ended up with 244 off 355 balls, as Bangladesh declared at 602-7, with half an hour remaining before Tea.

I hoped that our batting would be much better than our bowling, but unfortunately it wasn't. We ended the day 4 wickets down with just 114 runs on the board, thanks to a half-century from Paul Stirling. The first session and a half of Day 3 was disastrous though, as we lost 13-5 crumbling to 186 all out.

They unsurprisingly enforced the follow-on, and a couple of early strikes saw us in the mire at 5-2. Commins and Tector worked well to put on 79 runs for the 3rd wicket, but after they fell we lost 20-4. If it weren't for some gutsy late knocks from Scott MacBeth (40 from 37), George Dockrell (65 from 77), and Josh Little (15 from 23), the result could have been far, far worse.

Result

Bangladesh 602-7 dec (A. Hasan 244, M. Hasan 145, C. Campher 2-75) defeated Ireland 186 (P. Stirling 51, C. Campher 43, M. Hasan 5-60, S. Islam 4-37) and 228 f/o (G. Dockrell 65, H. Tector 45, M Hasan 4-135, R. Rahman 3-19) by an innings and 188 runs.

Amite Hasan was named Man of the Match

Notable Performances

George Dockrell's second innings 65 was very handy.

Murray Commins hard fought 35 from 123 in the second innings showed me he has it in him to perform at this level.

Disappointments

Our bowlers' inability to contain the Bangladeshi batters, we conceded 4.3 rpo.

Our 1st innings batting collapse.

Overall, a pretty disappointing first test, although there were a few positives. It will take time for these players to develop though, and it won't be an easy journey.

[Wilted]

I'm surprised not to see Adair in the starting lineup. Hopefully, your team will bounce back next Test or else it's going to be a long wait for a win.

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

I'm surprised not to see Adair in the starting lineup. Hopefully, your team will bounce back next Test or else it's going to be a long wait for a win.

Adair has been out of form for the limited overs sides so I decided to give young McKeegan a shot, but he should be back for the next test.

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

2nd Test v Bangladesh - Chittagong

Lineups

Ireland XI - P. Stirling, M. Commins, A. Balbirnie (c), H. Tector, C. Campher, J. Matchett, L. Tucker (+), G. Dockrell, M. Adair, B. McCarthy, J. Little

Bangladesh XI - T. Iqbal, M. Hasan, A. Hasan, M. Haque, Y. Ali, T. Hridoy, M. Hossain, M. Hasan, T. Islam, R. Rahman, S. Islam

A flurry of changes come in for the second test!

Toss - Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat

McCarthy struck in the 4th over, dismissing Mahmudul Hasan, giving me hope for a better bowling performance this time around. This was not the case, however, as they smacked us around to reach lunch on 122-1. Iqbal and Amite Hasan piled on 342 for the 2nd wicket and it was only when the new ball was taken when we were able to strike, dismissing both of them before stumps. They continued their aggressive approach on Day 2, but it was their downfall. They still managed to put 583 runs on the board though, posing a huge task for our batters.

Stirling and Commins were up to the task, forming a 107 run opening stand before Commins was trapped in front for 48. Stirling and Balbirnie battled through to stumps, but Stirling fell early on the third day for a well constructed 76 (163). Balbirnie's hard work got him to 50 soon after. Balbirnie and Campher fought through the middle session of Day 3 but only put on 80 runs during that period. Andrew Balbirnie fell just before stumps after making 131 (301), a great test knock. We ended the day 362-4, trailing by 221. Matchett and Campher both fell within the first 30 minutes of Day 4, putting us under pressure. Dockrell fell soon after, but Tucker and Adair put on 49 for the 8th wicket in a defiant stand. McCarthy and Little both fell for ducks, and we were bowled out for 442, a pretty good score.

They came out with aggression, piling on 134 in the space of 29 overs before Tea on Day 4. Amite Hasan's dream first test series continued, reaching his 3rd century in as many innings. They reached 245-1 and declared with 30 minutes left in Day 4.

I knew it wouldn't be easy to bat out a draw, and losing 3 early wickets didn't help my confidence. Fortunately, Balbirnie and Campher combined once again to guide us to lunch. We lost Balbirnie and Matchett within 3 overs after lunch though, and it looked like Bangladesh would sweep the series. Tucker fell just before Tea to leave us at 124-6 with 30 overs remaining. Unfortunately, we lost our way after the break and were bowled out for 151.

Result

Bangladesh 583 (T. Iqbal 189, A. Hasan 163, J. Little 5-126, B. McCarthy 4-113) and 245-1 dec (A. Hasan 113*, M. Hasan 101*, J. Little 1-59) defeated Ireland 442 (A. Balbirnie 131, C. Campher 84, T. Islam 4-129) and 151 (C. Campher 40, S. Islam 4-52, R. Rahman 3-11)

Amite Hasan was named Man of the Match

Notable Performances

Josh Little's 5fa

Curtis Campher's 207 ball vigil in the second innings

Balbirnie's maiden test century

Disappointments

Mark Adair did not get a single wicket

Harry Tector only made 11 runs in the match

Our tail's inability to wag

Our first test series comes to a disappointing end. We need some good youth regens to come through next year if we are going to be able to develop a good lineup

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

1st Year Review

Record - 0-2-0

Most Runs

Most Wickets

Test Player of the Year - Curtis Campher

Curtis Campher had a pretty good debut Test series against Bangladesh. He never disappointed with the bat and while his bowling might need a bit of work, he was still quite handy. Andrew Balbirnie and Josh Little were close to winning this award, but they only had 1-2 standout performances, whereas Campher was more consistent.

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

2023-24 Season Tours

2 Tests v Zimbabwe (Home) - Late July
2 Tests v New Zealand (Away) - Early to mid November
2 Tests v Sri Lanka (Away) - Late February

The Test Championships will start this year.

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

Test Championship Structure

All games from the beginning of the season to the end of the season will count towards the standings of the Test Championship.

Each teams games -

Australia - 2 Tests v Afg, 5 v Eng, 2 v SL, 3 v Zim, 3 v Pak, 3 v NZ - 18 total

England - 3 v Zim, 5 v Aus, 3 v SA, 3 v WI - 14 total

India - 3 v SA, 2 v NZ, 2 v Bang, 3 v Pak - 10 total

New Zealand - 2 v SL, 2 v Ire, 2 v Ind, 2 v Zim, 3 v Aus - 11 total

Pakistan - 2 v Afg, 3 v WI, 3 v Aus, 3 v Ind - 11 total

South Africa - 3 v Ind, 3 v Eng, 2 v Bang - 8 total

Sri Lanka - 3 v WI, 2 v NZ, 2 v Aus, 2 v Afg, 2 v Ire - 11 total

West Indies - 3 v SL, 3 v Pak, 2 v Afg, 3 v Eng - 11 total

Bangladesh - 2 v Zim, 2 v Ind, 2 v Afg, 2 v SA - 8 total

Zimbabwe - 3 v Eng, 2 v Ire, 2 v Bang, 3 v Aus, 2 v NZ - 12 total

Ireland - 2 v Zim, 2 v NZ, 2 v SL - 6 total

Afghanistan - 2 v Afg, 2 v Pak, 2 v SL, 2 v WI, 2 v Bang - 10 total

Point allocation - 5 for a win, 3 for a tie, 2 for a draw, 0 for a loss. Teams will be ranked on their point percentage (currently used in the real life Test Championship)

Max no. points per team

Australia - 90

England - 70

India - 50

New Zealand - 55

Pakistan - 55

South Africa - 40

Sri Lanka - 55

West Indies - 55

Bangladesh - 40

Zimbabwe - 60

Ireland - 30

Afghanistan - 50

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

Ireland have named a 13 man squad for the 1st Test v Zimbabwe

Squad - Paul Stirling, Murray Commins, Andrew Balbirnie, Derek Thomson, Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Josh Little, Craig Young, Trent McKeegan

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

1st Test v Zimbabwe - Dublin

Lineups

Ireland XI - P. Stirling, M. Commins, A. Balbirnie, H. Tector, C. Campher, L. Tucker, G. Dockrell, S. Singh, J. Little, C. Young, T. McKeegan

Zimbabwe XI - N. Sibanda, T. Kaitano, S. Williams, T. Nenhunzi, M. Shumba, S. Raza, A. Chiradza, V. Nyauchi, R. Ngarava, B. Muzarabani, T. Mutsamba

Toss - Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat

Craig Young dismissed both openers within the opening hour giving us a good start. Campher also picked up two wickets in the first session to leave them reeling at 89-4 at Lunch. Raza continued to attack, but was running out of partners. Eventually, he tried going big and was bowled by McKeegan, ending their innings at 224, with an hour left in the day.

We survived the tricky hour before stumps, and managed to put a valuable 36 runs on the board. Stirling and Balbirnie, our two most experienced batters were out in consecutive balls, giving Zimbabwe an early edge on Day 2. We got to Lunch 102-2, courtesy of Commins' maiden test 50. Tector was run out just after Lunch, bringing our most recent Test Player of the Year Curtis Campher to the middle. He was unable to deliver unfortunately, and was trapped in front by Nyauchi for 4. As it so often has so far in this save, one wicket led to another, and Commins was back in the hut for 64. Wickets kept falling and Simi Singh (30 from 46) was our only tailender to reach double figures. We were bowled out a paltry 174, 50 runs in arrears.

Our bowlers were unable to strike in the final session of Day 2, even under cloud cover. Their batters continued to frustrate our bowlers before Lunch on Day 3, but Dockrell struck twice in an over before Lunch to have them at 216-2 at Lunch, ahead by 266. Their onslaught continued after Lunch. In fact, we only took one more wicket in the entire day, when Shumba edged off for 87. Day 4 was cloudy, and this time we were able to take advantage, bowling them out early for a mammoth 539.

With 5 and a half sessions to survive, and 590 runs to win, I didn't have much faith that we could squeeze some points out of this. I decided to go fully defensive and bat for the draw. Stirling and Balbirnie fell on opposites sides of Lunch, but Tector and Commins survived most of the rest of the day, only Commins fell a few overs prior to stumps. We lost 2 more wickets in the first session of Day 5, but we still had Tector at the crease, giving me some hope. Dockrell and Singh both fell just before Tea, meaning Tector would have to negotiate the final sessions with the bowlers. Josh Little fell with an hour left to survive. Tector brought his hundred up off his 456th delivery, in a knock of defiance and grit! Zimbabwe took the new ball with 2 overs remaining, but they couldn't strike! We had done it! We had saved the test match!

Result

Zimbabwe 224 (S. Raza 98, C. Young 4-45, C. Campher 4-50) and 539 (T. Nenhunzi 133, N. Sibanda 103, G. Dockrell 6-172, S. Singh 3-109) drew with Ireland 174 (M. Commins 64, R. Ngarava 4-26) and 240-8 (H. Tector 101*, M. Commins 33, V. Nyauchi 3-60)

Sikandar Raza was named Man of the Match

Notable Performances

Harry Tector's 473 ball knock was one of the best I have ever seen on Cricket Captain

Murray Commins lasted 182 balls in the second dig, along with 184 balls in the first, solidifying himself as an old-fashioned, gritty opener

George Dockrell may have been expensive, but his 6 wicket haul was invaluable to us in the end

Disappointments

Our pace bowlers only contributed 1 wicket in the second innings

Trent McKeegan has now only got 2 Test wickets averaging 96.5, pretty much ensuring his axing from the team

Even though this match was only a draw, it shows that we can bat for long periods of time, even under clouds and on erratic pitches.

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

One change has been made to the squad for the second test, Trent McKeegan has been replaced by Ross Allen.

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

2nd Test v Zimbabwe - Dublin

Lineups

Ireland XI - M. Commins, D. Thomson, A. Balbirnie, H. Tector, C. Campher, L. Tucker, G. Dockrell, S. Singh, M. Adair, J. Little, C. Young

Zimbabwe XI - N. Sibanda, T. Kaitano, S. Williams, T. Nenhunzi, M. Shumba, S. Raza, A. Chiradza, V. Nyauchi, R. Ngarava, B. Muzarabani, T. Mutsamba

Derek Thomson, a young prospect comes in to debut, replacing the out of form Paul Stirling

Toss - Ireland won the toss and elected to bowl

With the entire first day under clouds, I decide to bowl first and put them under early pressure. We strike twice early before rain comes, washing out the rest of the first session, with Zimbabwe 54-2 after 10 overs. The second session is almost entirely rained out, only the last 38 minutes were played. The final session of Day 1 was not much different, with half of it washed out. They ended the day 137-3. We struggled early on Day 2, taking only 1 more wicket, with Kaitano in reach of a maiden test ton. Campher soon bowled him though, and he must have been heartbroken. Raza's form continued, this time bringing up the ton at a healthy strike rate of 65. Little and Young cleaned up the tail and bowled them out for 441, with 5 overs for us to survive in the day.

The two young openers Thomson and Commins negotiated the tricky 5 over period well. They both fell early on Day 3 though, and we really missed Stirling's experience. Balbirnie and Campher fell in quick succession to leave us reeling at 78-4 at Lunch. Tucker brought up his maiden test fifty, securing his spot as our keeper. He found a solid partner in Josh Little and brought up his century. Even though he soon fell he helped us avoid the follow-on. Young helped add a few late runs to have us bowled out for 255, with 2 days remaining.

Little struck thrice in his opening spell, giving us a good start. Campher bowled Shumba off the last ball before Lunch to give us some slight confidence, trailing by 291. Little continued his good bowling, picking up his second test 5fa, leaving them at 217-7 at Tea. Singh and Young cleaned up the tail, setting us a target of 405.

I decided to bat defensively at the start, knowing it wouldn't be easy to chase this kind of target with our batting lineup. Thomson fought hard for his 41, but fell just before stumps. We needed to score 312 on the final day to win. Commins brought up 50 but fell the very next ball unfortunately. After Balbirnie fell I decided to just bat for the draw. Tector and Tucker batted together for almost 4 hours, before Tucker fell for a hard-fought 26 (172). We lost a couple more wickets but we did enough to secure our first drawn series.

Result

Zimbabwe 441 (S. Raza 125, T. Kaitano 92, C. Young 4-106, J. Little 3-101) and 219 (T. Nenhunzi 70, A. Chiradza 35*, J. Little 5-74) drew with Ireland 255 (L. Tucker 105, V. Nyauchi 3-55) and 248-7 (H. Tector 64, M. Commins 51, T. Mutsamba 2-48)

Notable Performances

Lorcan Tucker's century made sure they couldn't enforce the follow-on

Josh Little picked up 8 wickets, but his economy rate is still a concern, this series he has gone at 4.2 rpo

Once again, Harry Tector batted a fair period of time once again in the second innings (293 balls)

Disappointments

Mark Adair didn't get a wicket, again

Curtis Campher's batting form, he averaged 6.25 this series


A pretty decent series to start off this year, but now we play a couple of good teams in New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

Ireland Squad for the 2 Test Match series v New Zealand

Batsmen - Murray Commins, Derek Thomson, Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling, Scott MacBeth, Cormac Hassett

Keepers - Lorcan Tucker, Stephen Doheny

All-Rounders - Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine

Bowlers - Josh Little, Craig Young, Ross Allen, Jacob Mulder, Trent McKeegan