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The Ireland National Cricket Team is set to host the India National Cricket Team for a two-match T20I series ahead of the Men in Blue’s white-ball series against England. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have already announced the squad for the upcoming tours, with Shreyas Iyer named as the new T20I captain.
However, as per recent reports, the Ireland vs India T20I series is under threat following violent riots during the night in Belfast earlier this week. The civil unrest, which was sparked by a local knife attack, led many inhabitants to flee their homes. According to the BBC, multiple residences and vehicles were set on fire, resulting in a complete stoppage of public transit throughout the city.
Ireland set to call of India series?
Cricket Ireland has been denied the opportunity to share any operational update, as the governing body stated that they are being closely monitored following the events in the capital city of the Northern part of the country. The violence has also impacted domestic cricket in this part of the UK.
The Inter-Provincial T20 Festival in Lisburn has already been called off. The Cricket Board have stated on Thursday that a final call for the upcoming Senior Cup and National Cup fixtures scheduled for Sunday would be delivered within 48-hours. The Green and whites are set to face India in the same Belfast city where the violations occurred; the matches are scheduled for June 26 and June 28.
Will make a decision within the next 48 hours- Cricket Ireland
They have communicated by delivering a formal statement on the ongoing violent situation. "Cricket Ireland is continuing to monitor the situation in areas currently experiencing community unrest and will make a decision within the next 48 hours regarding this Sunday’s Irish Senior Cup and National Cup fixtures," said in an official statement.
"We remain in close consultation with the relevant authorities and our provincial unions. The safety and security of players, coaches, match officials, and supporters is paramount in our deliberations. Further updates will be provided as they become available," it added.
India to play England next
Despite the unrest in the country and an official statement from the Cricket Board, there have been no talks or official updates from the BCCI. According to a report in Dainik Jagran, the BCCI is also “monitoring the situation”. According to a BCCI source, the current situation in Belfast is “closely being monitored”, and if it does not improve, there is an option of changing the venue for the matches to another location.
If this series gets cancelled, the debut of Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s senior team debut could be delayed as both have been named in the squad for the UK tour. Apart from playing the Green and Whites, the Men in Blue will travel to England for a five-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series.
India squad for Ireland series: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohd. Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
