Ireland 'underprepared' For England T20s - Stirling

Ireland v England, three-match T20 series

Venue: Malahide, County Dublin Dates: 17, 19 and 21 September Start time: 13:30 BST

Coverage: Commentary connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds; unrecorded matter commentary connected BBC Sport website & app

Ireland achromatic shot skipper Paul Stirling said nan broadside are "obviously disappointed" by a deficiency of competitory cricket this summer.

Heinrich Malan's squad will invited England to Dublin for a three-game T20 bid starting connected Wednesday for what will beryllium their first world fixtures since a nonaccomplishment to West Indies successful nan aforesaid format connected 15 June.

Ireland's players faced each different successful what was called nan Emerald Challenge bid this month, and successful nan Inter-Provincial Cup earlier successful nan summer, but person completed conscionable 3 internationals since their bid against Zimbabwe successful February.

Such has been nan break from world action, Stirling said nan high-profile fixtures felt much for illustration nan commencement of their wintertime programme than nan extremity of their summer.

"We've been under-prepared would beryllium nan honorable answer," he said.

"It's bully to get together arsenic a squad for nan first clip successful astir 4 months. We're looking guardant to getting retired location and giving it a bully go.

"We'll request things to spell our measurement a small bit, but it's bully to get together."

Ireland will circuit Bangladesh successful November arsenic they build towards nan 2026 T20 World Cup and an expected location Test against New Zealand.

Stirling hopes nan upcoming circuit will herald nan opening of a considerably busier play for nan side.

"We're evidently disappointed. We can't hide that fact, we want to play arsenic overmuch cricket arsenic we can.

"Ultimately, we're going to beryllium judged connected our performances connected nan pitch. To not person accordant cricket which allows you to bring retired nan champion of yourselves passim a summertime is tough. It's tricky because you're expected to woody pinch those things nary matter what.

"Fingers crossed, we're going to recreation to Bangladesh and from there, it'll beryllium packed afloat of cricket for 12 to 18 months, but surely disappointing that successful nan summertime months successful Ireland arsenic a master cricketer you're not playing overmuch cricket."

England person travelled without their all-format players presently building towards nan winter's Ashes series, including accustomed ODI and T20 skipper Harry Brook.

In his stead, 21-year-old Jacob Bethell will go nan youngest man to skipper an England world side.

The flip successful Malahide, however, will not beryllium Stirling's first gathering pinch nan breathtaking all-rounder. The brace were team-mates astatine Warwickshire and opened nan batting together for Birmingham Bears successful nan T20 Blast during 2022.

"I rocked up to 1 of nan outgrounds for Warwickshire erstwhile I was playing my first crippled for them nan adjacent day," Stirling recalled.

"Jacob Bethell sewage maine retired first shot disconnected nan train, truthful that was my first acquisition of him. He was a superstar, you could spot nan talent there.

"His ball-striking was truthful noticeable, it was world people already. To spot wherever he's sewage to already is nary astonishment to me."

Ireland's bowling onslaught will beryllium without Josh Little, Mark Adair and Fionn Hand but are different astatine afloat strength.

While England's squad, which will beryllium led by adjunct coach Marcus Trescothick, is overmuch changed from that which faced South Africa past week, Stirling is not expecting nan situation facing Ireland to beryllium lessened.

"Sometimes you spot nan squad being announced and you tin person nan return that it's understrength, but that's not really I spot it," he added.

"I spot 15 highly talented cricketers each wanting to put their manus up and get to nan T20 World Cup.

"Those teams that travel to Ireland are hungrier perchance than nan first-team."