Skipper Andrew Balbirnie will lead Ireland’s campaign at this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after Cricket Ireland named their 15-member squad for the upcoming tournament on Tuesday.

The experience of Kevin O’Brien, who was excluded from the squad that participated in the World Cup Qualifier before announcing his retirement from all forms of international cricket last month, will be missing. However, the squad still appears to be well-rounded with experience in the form of players like opener Paul Stirling, all-rounder George Dockrell, and Balbirnie and a mix of youth with the likes of batter Harry Tector and pacer Mark Adair.

Chair of National Men’s Selectors, Andrew White in the press statement by the cricket board said, “Our belief is that this T20 World Cup is not an end point but the beginning of a new era. The age profile of this squad makes our future prospects very exciting, and after a season of eye-catching performances we have seen a greater level of interest in our players by teams in franchise tournaments around the world, which is a positive sign.

Ireland T20 World Cup squad: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Conor Olphert, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.