Josh Little blow for Ireland ahead of Windies T20 matches

RTÉ News​

a day ago

Ireland's main bowler Josh Little has been ruled out of this week's T20 internationals against the West Indies, with the first of three matches taking place in Bready, Co Tyrone on Thursday.
Dubliner Little, who played in the recent ODIs against the Windies in Dublin, pulled up in training with a niggle and has been replaced in the 14-player squad by Graham Hume.
Little will primarily feature for Middlesex in this season's Vitality Blast campaign and, according to captain Paul Stirling: "He's going back to England now to prepare over there, (to) try and get himself right and Graham Hume comes in for him.
"Unfortunately, that's one more change, and that seems to be the order of the day recently.
"(But) again, with all these things, as with the ODIs, it brings opportunities for players who maybe didn't expect to be around."
Irish Test captain Andy Balbirnie is no longer involved in international T20 cricket, while Stirling is also without the likes of Curtis Campher, Gareth Delaney and bowler Craig White who all missed last month's drawn ODI series against the West Indies through injury.
On a brighter note Stirling will have bowler Mark Adair available again, as well as his brother Ross Adair who hit his maiden century against South Africa in the second T20I of their series in Abu Dhabi last September.
The weather could play its part; rain is forecast over the next few days in the Bready area.
"It looks like it's a bit of a rainy day tomorrow (Thursday), but honestly, I think the forecast has changed over the last few days considerably, for good or bad," said Stirling.
"So we'll just go into the game, preparing to play, knowing that there might be a bit of rain about and go from there."
Asked what kind of a score he thought would win the game at Bready, a relatively small ground close to the city of Derry, Stirling replied: "The par score or the winning scores would be around the 150-160 mark at Bready, but it's quite a difficult one to gauge.
"I wouldn't say that, given the West Indies squad that they're bringing over, 160 would be enough on this ground unless there's something wrong with the wickets."
Cricket Ireland is now mainly focusing on the men's T20 form of the game as part of the build-up to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year, which Ireland have already qualified for.
There will be a series of T20 festivals at interprovincial level, starting at the Mardyke in Cork next week as well as a T20 three-match series against England at Malahide in September.
With 14 players at his disposal, Stirling and the Irish selectors may be tempted to use everyone in Tyrone.
"There's nothing pre-prepared," he insisted. "We've obviously struggled with a few injuries recently, particularly with the guys that give balance to the side.
"So that one's been the difficult piece to put together.
"We've obviously got a World Cup in a few months' time, just with the way things have unfolded with injuries and squad selections that I think we just have to take it each game as it comes."
Ireland v West Indies Men T20I series
Thursday 12 June: Ireland Men v West Indies Men (Bready, start 3pm)
Saturday 14 June: Ireland Men v West Indies Men (Bready, start 3pm)
Sunday 15 June: Ireland Men v West Indies Men (Bready, start 3pm)
Ireland squad
Paul Stirling (Capt) (Northern Knights)
Mark Adair (Lisburn / Northern Knights)
Ross Adair (Lisburn / Northern Knights)
Gavin Hoey (Pembroke / Leinster Lightning)
George Dockrell (Phoenix / Leinster Lightning)
Stephen Doheny (Merrion / Munster Reds)
Matthew Humphreys (Lisburn / Northern Knights)
Graham Hume (Waringstown / North West Warriors)
Barry McCarthy (Pembroke / Leinster Lightning)
Liam McCarthy (Railway Union / Munster Reds)
Harry Tector (Pembroke / Leinster Lightning)
Tim Tector (Pembroke / Leinster Lightning)
Lorcan Tucker (Pembroke / Leinster Lightning)
Ben White (Phoenix / Munster Reds)