Cricket Ireland has set out 12 dates for the Ireland International men’s team to play at three different venues against visiting teams from South Africa and Zimbabwe through July and August.
South Africa will play three One Day Internationals at Malahide between 11th and 16th July, before three T20 international matches in Malahide and Stormont between the 20th and 25th July.
Zimbabwe will be the opposition for three One Day internationals in Stormont between 6th and 11th August, followed by three T20 matches in Bready.
A further series against Pakistan is currently under discussion as part of an extension to a tour of England.
“2021 is certainly full of optimism, but of course we can’t ignore the great uncertainties still in the world, and our planning is trying to factor that in as much as possible,” said Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom.
“We need to plan for matches to proceed but with the background knowledge that circumstances might see further postponements. We have some massive targets this year, whether it’s men’s World Cup Super League matches and building towards the T20 World Cup in October, as well as the Women’s World Cup Qualifier, and regional qualifying for the next Women’s T20 World Cup.”
“Our international and domestic match planning needs to be tailored to preparing for those major milestones, as well as reacting as quickly as possible to the likely setbacks COVID-19 may present.”
“For our fans, it’s still unclear at what stage we will be able to invite spectators back into grounds, but we hope that regardless of the conditions in place, fans will still be able to enjoy the international itinerary that features three renowned opponents on TV or live-streamed.”
“It’s likely there will be more bumps in the road in the weeks to come, but we’ll do our best to consult with everyone as early as possible, and we ask for everyone’s ongoing patience as we try to navigate through the uncertainties.”
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