SL vs IRE: "We Are As Prepared We Can Possibly Be"- Ireland Captain Andrew Balbirnie On Test Series Against Sri Lanka

Ireland National Cricket Team Captain Andrew Balbirnie says that he and his side are fully prepared for their Test series against Sri Lanka later this month.

the Irish will travel to the island nation for a two-match Test match series. The first one will be held in Galle from April 16-20, while the second will take place between April 24-28 in Galle as well.

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Ireland recently played their first Test match in almost four years, traveling to Bangladesh for a single match. The host country won the match by 7 wickets on day 4 but saw resolve from the Irish batter on a difficult track.

Also read: Team India To Tour Ireland in August; To Play Three T20I Games

As they take their caravan across Asia to Sri Lanka next, Irish captain Andrew Balbirnie discussed their preparedness for the Lankan Lions.

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“We are as prepared as we can possibly be (for Sri Lanka) with a Test match in the sub-continent under our belts. If we were going into two Tests against Sri Lanka with no red-ball cricket, let alone Test cricket, it would be very challenging but we know Sri Lanka are a very good team in their own conditions. But the lads will be confident, we have had enough good performances from our new guys that if we could get a couple more things right we could give it a crack,” he said.

Also read: BAN vs IRE: Watch – Umpire Aleem Dar Gets A Guard Of Honour From Bangladesh & Ireland Players After One-Off Test Match

Ireland have played only four Test matches in their history, losing all four. This series against Sri Lanka will be their first multi-match Test series.

Ireland eyes automatic qualification into the ICC ODI World Cup 2023

Surprisingly, the race for the 8th and final automatic qualification spot for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India is between South Africa and Ireland.

With 10 teams playing in the tournament, eight will directly qualify. This is to be determined by the ‘ICC Men’s World Cup Super League Table’. The 13 nations vying to play in the tournament play 24 Super League matches each. A win gives a team 10 points, a tie/no contest gives 5, and a loss gives 0. A point is also deducted for every overs bowled over the time limit.

As it stands, New Zealand, England, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, and Afghanistan have qualified. While West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands are out of the race and will play in a playoff for the last two slots.

Only South Africa and Ireland have 3 matches left each. If SA gets any points from their remaining matches, they will qualify for the World Cup/ What the Irish need for direct qualification is – to win all their remaining matches, wish that South Africa lose all of theirs, and try to improve their Net Run Rate (NRR).

Also read: IND vs AUS – Cricket Ireland Troll Fox Cricket As Media House Mentions Ravichandran Ashwin’s Impact With BCCI Shifting 3rd Test To Indore

While SA’s qualification is all but confirmed, the race has still not concluded.

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