Latest news with #CricketIreland
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Euro T20 league backed by Bollywood to be postponed
Plans to hold a European T20 franchise tournament this summer are to be shelved until 2026 because three potential owners are instead focusing on completing deals to buy team stakes in The Hundred. The European T20 Premier League (ETPL), part owned by Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, and involving city-based franchises from Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, was set to start next month. Advertisement The six-team tournament was slated to take place from 15 July to 3 August but multiple sources have told BBC Sport the event will definitely not happen this year. The project is being led by Cricket Ireland in collaboration with the boards of Scotland and the Netherlands. Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Amsterdam and Rotterdam were the designated venues for the ETPL, which promised to "elevate local talent, draw global superstars, and ignite a wave of cricketing enthusiasm across Europe". Deals for at least three of the six city-based franchises are understood to be very close to being signed off, and it was initially hoped that once they were wrapped up, the remaining three would soon follow. Advertisement However, three of those potential ETPL franchise owners are also acquiring stakes in The Hundred and are said to have prioritised those deals. In April, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) extended the deadline to complete sales of the Hundred franchises that were agreed earlier this year. The knock-on effect of the delay in those sales is the postponement of the ETPL, with a formal announcement to confirm it has been rescheduled to be made within the next 48 hours. Bollywood actor and film produce Bachchan was announced as part-owner of the ETPL in conjunction with Rules Sport Tech when it was launched in January. Advertisement Rules Sport Tech are a private Indian company who "promote and create high quality sports initiatives, tournaments and events". Mumbai-born Bachchan, 49, travelled to Dublin in March to promote the tournament via a series of media interviews and Instagram posts. It is not the first time a European T20 franchise tournament involving the Dutch, Irish and Scottish cricket boards has struggled to get off the ground. In 2019, the Euro T20 Slam - which had different backers - was postponed just over a fortnight before the opening game. That came after team names were announced, a draft held and marquee players including Eoin Morgan were allocated to franchises. Advertisement The tournament was then postponed several times over subsequent years and never took place. Organisers are buoyant about the ETPL's prospects, even though no franchises have yet been sold, and are confident it will not be plagued by the same issues as the Euro T20 Slam. Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association all declined to comment.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Paul Stirling becomes first Irish batter to score 10,000 international runs as Ireland crush West Indies by 124 runs in first ODI
Paul Stirling (Pic credit: Cricket Ireland) Paul Stirling etched his name into Irish cricket history on Wednesday, becoming the first Ireland batter to surpass 10,000 international runs during a dominant 124-run victory over the West Indies in the opening ODI in Dublin. Stirling's composed knock of 54 off 64 balls took his career tally to 10,017 runs across formats. "Delighted to get there. It was something I dreamt of as a kid but as a professional cricketer you can't dwell too much about it," said Stirling after reaching the milestone. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Stirling laid the foundation alongside fellow opener Andy Balbirnie, who struck a brilliant 112 off 138 balls, featuring nine boundaries and four sixes. Their 109-run stand set the tone, while Harry Tector added a valuable 56, powering Ireland to 303/6 after being asked to bat. Alzarri Joseph claimed two wickets for the visitors, while Matthew Forde ended with three for 68. Who's that IPL player? Ireland's bowlers then ripped through the West Indies' top order. After Evin Lewis was run out early, debutant Thomas Mayes clean bowled Windies skipper Shai Hope for two. Barry McCarthy was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4/32, including the key wicket of Forde, as the tourists were bundled out for 179 in 34.1 overs. With a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, Ireland will aim to clinch it when the teams meet again on Friday. Bombay Sport Exchange Ep 5: Shane Watson on how IPL gave him a lifeline & his tribute to Phil Hughes Brief scores Ireland: 303/6 in 50 overs (Balbirnie 112, Tector 56, Stirling 54; Forde 3-68, A. Joseph 2-51) West Indies: 179 all out in 34.1 overs (Chase 55; McCarthy 4-32, Dockrell 3-21) Result: Ireland won by 124 runs Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
RTÉ News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Visit of West Indies brings lack of fixtures home to Andrew Balbirnie
Ireland's men's cricketers finally get to have a home series tomorrow as the West Indies rumble into town to play three one-day internationals in Clontarf and three T20 games at Bready, County Tyrone. It has been 10 months since the last home match for Ireland, a one-off Test win over Zimbabwe at Stormont in July, and a year since the three-game series against Pakistan in Clontarf. Outside of the three T20 matches against England at Malahide in September, Ireland's men's side's fixtures are thin on the ground. A mixed-format home series against Afghanistan set for July was cancelled by Cricket Ireland due to financial constraints. The proposed new European T20 league, involving franchise teams from Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland, was also supposed to be played in July but probably won't happen this year. There is now talk that Ireland will play a tri-nations series against those two countries as a fill-in, but nothing has been announced and Ireland's proposed trip to Pakistan in September may not happen now due to the increased political tensions in the region. For 34-year-old Andy Balbirnie, still Ireland's Test captain, but no longer involved in the T20 squad, the upcoming fixtures against the West Indies, comes as a relief to the squad, which is captained by his friend Paul Stirling. "We want to play as much cricket as we can," Balbirnie told RTÉ Sport. "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out, it's a pretty barren schedule" "But these games are coming up now, so we've got to make the most of it and make sure that we're ready to go and all our prep is done. And once we get out of the field, we just go out and try to win games. "I think like any team that you play at this level, you expect them (West Indies) to come with some high-quality players. "There are a few names that are there from the last time we played them in Ireland in 2019, players like Shai Hope. "John Campbell has just been brought into the squad and obviously Darren Sammy was a very experienced player himself and is now coach of the West Indies." Balbirnie's former team-mate Kevin O'Brien, who is currently assistant head coach with Italy, has been drafted in by the visitors to give them what they hope will be an insight into how they can beat Ireland. "I have no issue with it at all," insisted Balbirnie. "Kev is on the kind of ladder of his coaching career, and this is a big step for him. "He's still working with Italy and trying to get Italy to a T20 World Cup. They've got qualifiers this summer coming up, which are important for them. And I think he knows Darren Sammy quite well. "They played together a while back, so I think it made sense for all parties involved to have Kev on board. "It'll be interesting to see him in the opposite dugout, I hope it goes really well for him." Does Balbirnie feel a sense of frustration at the lack of matches, especially at home? "I'm currently not involved in the T20's, so my international summer kind of finishes next week. I'll have to find something to do for the summer. Maybe play a few games for my club Pembroke, which would be nice to get back to. "But yeah, when I first came onto the scene as an Irish cricketer, there were quite a lot of fixtures in most of the formats. And as we're getting on and becoming more established as the team, there almost seems to be less. "It's unfortunately just the way it is, and as players we don't have control over that, but there certainly is a bit of frustration. But I don't think it'll hinder our performance or our will to win "There is quite a good young core of players who are getting to the kind of the peak of their career now and, having been there myself, when you're at that stage of your career, you want to show your skills and talent as often as possible against as many teams as possible. "I'm certainly at the back end of my career and I still feel like I'm playing good cricket, and I want to be playing more. "It's what we do day in, day out. We do a lot of stuff in the gym and a lot of stuff in the nets, but there comes a time where you just need to be playing and playing matches against high calibre of players. "We just want more. We're not asking for, you know, loads and loads of fixtures. We're just asking for more regular fixtures to give the guys chances to showcase their ability." Ireland's injury list has grown ahead of the opening game of the West Indies ODI series tomorrow (10.45 in Clontarf) with Craig Young and Curtis Campher both ruled out for the duration. Young sustained a hamstring injury while playing in an Inter-Provincial Cup match for the Northwest Warriors against the Leinster Lightning in Oak Hill and Jordan Neill has been named as his replacement for the ODI series.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
West Indies in Ireland 2025
May 21 1st ODI, Clontarf Play starts at 10:00 BST Scorecard 23 2nd ODI, Clontarf (10:00 BST) 25 3rd ODI, Clontarf (10:00 BST) West Indies then tour England between 29 May and 10 June, playing three ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals, before returning to Ireland. June 12 1st Twenty20 international, Bready (11:00 BST) 14 2nd Twenty20 international, Bready (11:00 BST) 15 3rd Twenty20 international, Bready (11:00 BST) NB Fixtures and start times are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made Get cricket news sent straight to your phone
Irish Independent
06-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Proposed National Cricket Centre at Abbotstown aiming for €93m tourism boost
During the same 2026 to 2030 period, the cricket stadium – which will have a permanent capacity of 4,240 and will be able to accommodate up to 12,000 spectators for the planned oval – will generate an additional €29m through ticket sales and operational expenditure during the same period. That is according to planning documents lodged on behalf of Sport Ireland for the National Cricket Centre (NCC) to Fingal Co Council comprising a stand capable of future expansion for larger attendances, a high-performance centre and supporting infrastructure for the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus at Abbotstown in Dublin. A planning report drawn up by Cunnane Stratton Reynolds for Sport Ireland states that this planning application 'will provide Cricket Ireland (CI) with a permanent, world class facility, within the home of Irish sport'. Cricket Ireland cannot rely on using club facilities at great cost An evaluation of the stadium's economic impact carried out by EY shows that €39.9m would be spent ahead of co-hosting the T20 World Cup Cricket tournament in 2030. The findings show that based on an average year's operation, the centre would support 460 jobs per annum in the period 2026 to 2030. Overall, and including the impact of the Cricket World Cup in 2030, the net impact of the centre would result in 1,555 jobs. The planning report states that a once-off capacity of 20,000 will be required for the tournament in 2030 – and as it is a once-off event, it will likely be the subject of an events licence closer to the time. A report lodged with the application states the Irish economy will benefit from co-hosting the 2030 tournament. The centre will host a maximum of eight matches, with the remaining matches in Ireland to be held in Malahide or Stormont. Planning documents show that the proposed development is likely to generate approximately 200 construction jobs. Outlining the need for the development, it states: 'Cricket Ireland has no home of its own... It cannot rely on using club facilities at great cost. 'The campus provides a unique opportunity to provide that facility for cricket.'
