Photo Credit: Cricket Ireland
DUBLIN – Cricket Ireland has today announced that 18 full-time central player contracts and two retainer contracts for the Ireland Men’s senior international squad have been offered for 2021. Announcements about further retainer contracts to will be made in due course.
Josh Little, David Delany and Curtis Campher have earned their first full-time senior contracts, while Peter Chase regains a full-time deal.
Along with the 18 full-time central contracts, two retainer contracts (formerly known as Emerging Contracts) have been offered.
The contracts have been awarded to:
Full-time
• Mark Adair
• Andrew Balbirnie
• Curtis Campher
• Peter Chase
• David Delany
• Gareth Delany
• Josh Little
• Andrew McBrine
• Barry McCarthy
• James McCollum
• Kevin O’Brien
• William Porterfield
• Simi Singh
• Paul Stirling
• Harry Tector
• Lorcan Tucker
• Gary Wilson
• Craig Young
Retainers
• George Dockrell
• Shane Getkate
Andrew White, Chairman of National Men’s Selectors, said:
“Two years ago the Selectors embarked on a long-term strategy that aimed to identify and mould a squad of players with the right blend of skill sets that will allow us to compete on multiple fronts and in varying conditions around the world. A key part of this was a strategic approach to succession planning, and 2021 will see a further step in this process. We believe this selection reflects the successful implementation of that strategy – perhaps best demonstrated by the number of players under the age of 25 in our recent victory against England.”
“The Selectors have been extremely pleased with the successful start to Curtis Campher’s Irish career, and the positive progress displayed by two exciting young talented pacemen in Josh Little and David Delany – it’s exciting for fans to see these three young players in the green, and it creates a sense of anticipation as to the potential impact they may have on the international stage.”
“We have also been delighted by the hard work and commitment shown by Peter Chase in improving his game – when he lost his full-time contract last year, Peter went away and worked on his action and approach to his craft, and we hope that he will once again be showing his skills at the highest levels.”
“With each passing year the questions posed to Selectors by the contracts process mean tough decisions have to be made. It is pleasing to know that there are so many players who are vying to be on the list, and some can rightfully feel unfortunate not to be there today. To those who have lost contracts – Boyd, Stuart and Tyrone – the door is never fully closed and the Selectors will be keeping a keen eye on their progress during the coming season.”
Richard Holdsworth, High Performance Director for Cricket Ireland, said:
“We’re pleased to have offered these 20 contracts ahead of what will likely be an intense 12 month period. Despite the uncertainty that hangs around world cricket due to the pandemic, we are continuing to plan for a year that that will see the senior squad play most Full Member countries, including a busy home schedule, and finishing the year with a T20 World Cup appearance.”
“Fans will notice that we have offered 18 full-time contracts this year, one less than last time – we hope this will give us latitude to introduce more retainer contracts and effectively create a greater overall player pool spending invaluable contact time with the coaching staff. We have offered two retainer contracts so far, and hope to make further offers in due course.”
“The limited performances in 2020 showed remarkable progress. Despite dealing with the obvious challenges, we can look back with great pride at wins over the West Indies in the Caribbean, England in England, and Afghanistan in subcontinent conditions. However, the result is only half the story – that many young players stepped up and began to perform on the highest stage was probably just as pleasing.”
“Graham Ford, Andrew Balbirnie and the Selectors should be proud of the way they are moulding a competitive and confident squad. Fingers crossed for a big 2021 with many more great performances.”
Announcements will be made next week about women’s contracts for 2021.
Name of Author: Cricket Ireland
Cricket Ireland, officially known as The Irish Cricket Union Company Limited by Guarantee, is the governing body for cricket on the island of Ireland. It oversees the national men’s and women’s teams and organizes the Inter-Provincial Series, Super 3s, and All-Ireland club competitions. Ireland achieved Test status for women in 2000 and for men in 2017 when it became a Full Member of the ICC.
