Ireland Playing 11 vs Zimbabwe - Only Test, Ireland tour of Zimbabwe 2025

The one-off Test between Ireland and Zimbabwe will get underway this week. The game is scheduled to be played from Thursday (February 6) at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.

ZIM vs IRE Test match will be Ireland's first Test since they hosted Zimbabwe for a one-off Test in Belfast last year. It was the first-ever Test between Zimbabwe and Ireland and the latter had won it by 4 wickets. Ireland will be taking confidence from that victory and will be eyeing another Test win over the African outfit.

So as Ireland and Zimbabwe gear up for the only Test on the tour, we are taking a look at the Ireland Playing 11 for the 1st ZIM vs IRE Test.

Ireland Playing 11 vs Zimbabwe - Only Test, Ireland tour of Zimbabwe 2025:

Openers: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Peter Moor

Captain Andrew Balbirnie and Peter Moor are expected to be the openers in the Ireland Playing 11 for the 1st ZIM vs IRE Test. The onus will be on Balbirnie and Moor to give Ireland a good start with the bat.

Balbirnie has played 9 Tests so far and has scored 401 runs with the help of four half-centuries. On the other hand, wicketkeeper-batsman Peter Moor has played 14 Tests for Ireland so far and will be a key figure in the Ireland Playing 11. In those 14 games, he has scored 700 runs with the help of six half-centuries including one against Zimbabwe.

Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Curtis Campher, Harry Tector, Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair

In the middle-order for Ireland, the onus will be on the likes of Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, and Paul Stirling to lead their team's charge with the bat. On the other hand, the likes of Curtis Campher, Andy McBrine, and Mark Adair will be the all-rounders in the Ireland Playing 11.

A right-arm pacer and a right-handed batsman, Campher has played 6 Tests so far. He has scored 297 runs including a century and picked up 6 wickets too in the longest format of the game.

Tector and Tucker have also represented Ireland in 6 Tests so far. Harry Tector has scored 374 runs with the help of four fifties while Tucker has scored 480 runs including a century and a couple of half-centuries.

Paul Stirling, one of the most experienced players in the Ireland camp, has played 7 Tests so far. The veteran batsman has scored 351 runs including a century and a fifty.

Andy McBrine and Mark Adair have played 8 and 6 Tests respectively for Ireland. McBrine has taken 21 wickets in addition to scoring 397 runs including 3 fifties. On the other hand, Adair has taken 22 wickets and scored 220 runs including a fifty.

Bowlers: Barry McCarthy, Craig Young, Matthew Humphreys

Ireland are likely to play the game with two frontline pacers and one specialist spinner. While Barry McCarthy and Craig Young are expected to be the pacers, Matthew Humphreys is likely to be the spinner in the Ireland Playing 11.

All three - McCarthy, Humphreys, and Young - have played two Tests so far. The likes of Campher and Adair are the other fast-bowling options while McBrine as well as Stirling are the other spin-bowling options in the Ireland squad.