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The Ireland men’s cricket team, governed by the Irish Cricket Union under the brand Cricket Ireland, represents all of Ireland in international cricket. Ireland are 11th Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the second from Europe, competing in Test, One-Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I) formats.
Ireland played their first match in 1855, and their significant early rivalry was with Scotland, starting in 1888. In 1993, they became an Associate member of the ICC, playing their first full ODI in 2006 against England during the build-up to the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. They have qualified for multiple World Twenty20 competitions (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022, and 2024), and they qualified for the next T20 World Cup in 2026.
Before gaining Test status, they played first-class cricket in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, winning the event four times between 2005 and 2013. Ireland gained Test status alongside Afghanistan on June 22, 2017. They played their first Test match against Pakistan at The Village, Malahide, from May 11-15, 2018, while they achieved their first victory in red-ball cricket against Afghanistan on March 12, 2024.
History
Early history
Modern cricket in Ireland was first mentioned in 1731. Meanwhile, the English introduced modern cricket to Ireland in the early 19th century. Ireland’s first men’s national team played against the Gentlemen of England in Dublin in 1855.
The first professional touring team to visit Ireland was the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1858. An Irish Cricket Union was formed in 1923, but it faced recognition issues. In 2001, Cricket Ireland became the official governing body of the team.
Before 1993
Ireland cricket team had its first victory against a Test nation in 1904, overpowering South Africa. In 1909, Ireland began an annual first-class match against Scotland, and from 1924, they played the MCC annually. Ireland later achieved notable victories against Test nations, including defeating the West Indies in Dublin in 1928 and a significant win in 1969 where they bowled out a West Indies team.
Associate Member (1993–2007)
Ireland became an Associate Member of the ICC in 1993, allowing them to participate in the ICC Trophy in the following year. In their first ICC Trophy in 1994, Ireland failed to excel, finishing seventh. Meanwhile, they reached the semi-finals in 1997 but lost the third-place play-off to Scotland, missing out on the 1999 World Cup. The introduction of the ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004 provided Ireland regular first-class cricket opportunities and they won their first title in October 2005 after a win over Kenya.
Ireland hosted the 2005 ICC Trophy and they reached the final of the tournament. Regrettably, they lost to Scotland but secured a spot in the 2007 World Cup and received $500,000 from the ICC for cricket development.
Irish cricket team played their first ODI against England on June 13, 2006, losing it by 38 runs. In August 2006, they participated in the European Championship and secured their first ODI victory against Scotland by 85 runs, thanks to a standout performance by Eoin Morgan.
They won their second Intercontinental Cup in the 2006-2007 season, defeating Canada by an innings and 115 runs. With this victory, they became the first team to successfully defend the title.
One-Day International status without test status (2007–2016)
Ireland played their first Cricket World Cup in 2007, where they had an impressive run, advancing to the Super 8 stage. Post-World Cup, Ireland hosted India and South Africa in ODIs but lost both matches. They then participated in a quadrangular tournament in July 2007, finishing second behind the West Indies.
Ireland won their third consecutive title in the 2007–08 ICC Intercontinental Cup, defeating Namibia in the final. In July 2008, Ireland hosted and won the European Championship (Division One), marking their third title win.
Ireland made their T20I debut in August 2008 at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. They shared the trophy with the Netherlands after a rain-marred final. In the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, Ireland advanced to the Super 8 stage but lost all matches.
Ireland made headlines during the 2011 ODI World Cup by defeating England in a historic match, with Kevin O’Brien scoring the fastest century in the tournament’s history. Ireland qualified and achieved significant victories against the West Indies and the UAE in the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Ireland played its first five-match ODI series against Afghanistan in 2016, finishing 2–2 with one match washed out. They toured South Africa later that year but lost both ODIs. In addition, Ireland was awarded first-class status for its domestic Inter-Provincial Championship in October 2016.
Test status (2017–present)
On June 22, 2017, Ireland cricket was granted ICC’s full membership, making them the eleventh cricket team to achieve Test status alongside Afghanistan. Their inaugural Test was scheduled for May 2018 at home against Pakistan. They later played their first overseas Test in March 2019 against Afghanistan in India and played against England at Lord’s in July 2019.
On January 16, 2022, Ireland won their first away ODI series against a Test nation, outplaying the West Indies in Jamaica. Additionally, they also secured their first series win in Zimbabwe in December 2023. After struggling in their first seven Tests, Ireland achieved their first Test victory on March 1, 2024, over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. In 2024, they secured their first T20 victory over Pakistan. They followed up with a second consecutive victory against Zimbabwe at Stormont, marking their first Test win on home soil.
Records
Test Matches
- Highest Team Score: 492 against Sri Lanka on April 24, 2023, at Galle International Stadium, Galle.
- Best Innings Bowling: 6/118 by Andy McBrine against Bangladesh on April 4, 2023, at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet.
- Record Individual Score: 118 by Kevin O’Brien against Pakistan on May 11, 2018, at The Village, Malahide.
One-Day Internationals
- Highest Team Score: 359/9 against New Zealand on July 15, 2022, at Malahide, Dublin.
- Best Innings Bowling: 6/55 by Paul Stirling against Afghanistan on March 17, 2017, at Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, Greater Noida.
- Record Partnership Score: 227 between William Porterfield and Kevin O’Brien against Kenya on February 2, 2007, in Nairobi.
Twenty20 Internationals
- Highest Team Score: 226/4 against Austria on July 23, 2023, at The Grange Club, Edinburgh.
- Best Innings Bowling: 4/11 by Alex Cusack against the West Indies on February 21, 2014, at Sabina Park, Jamaica.
Ireland women’s cricket team
The Ireland women’s national cricket team represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in international cricket. The women’s team is also administered by Cricket Ireland. Ireland women made their ODI debut in 1987 against Australia and played in its first World Cup in 1988.
The women’s cricket team played its only Test match in 2000, defeating Pakistan. Ireland have not qualified for a World Cup since 2005 but have qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014 and 2016. In December 2018, Cricket Ireland offered professional contracts to women’s players for the first time. In April 2021, the ICC granted permanent Test and ODI status to all full member women’s teams, including Ireland.
History
1980s
Ireland women began competing internationally in 1987. They played their first ODIs in a three-match series against Australia, 19 years before the men’s team made their ODI debut. Despite losing all three matches against Australia, Ireland were invited to the World Cup the following year. In the 1988 World Cup in Australia, Ireland finished fourth overall. The following year, they participated in the inaugural Women’s European Championship in Denmark, finishing fourth on run rate.
1990s
In the early 1990s, Ireland competed in the European Championships, finishing as runners-up to England in 1990 and finishing third place in 1991. In the 1993 World Cup, they finished in fifth place. In the 1995 European Championship, Ireland once again finished as runners-up to England.
Meanwhile, Ireland reached the quarter-finals in the 1997 World Cup but lost to New Zealand. Ireland finished as runners-up to England in the European Championship again in 1997.
2000s
Ireland women played their inaugural Test match in 2000, defeating Pakistan by an innings in Dublin. This remains their only match in the longest format to date. Despite having successes in the ODI format, Ireland struggled in the 2000 World Cup, finishing seventh. In 2001, Ireland won their first-ever European Championship.
In the inaugural IWCC Trophy (now the World Cup Qualifier) in 2003, Ireland won every match to qualify for the 2005 World Cup. They had a disappointing campaign in the World Cup, finishing last in the standings. Later in 2005, they finished as runners-up to England in the European Championship. Ireland won the European Championship in 2009, defeating the Netherlands. Additionally, Ireland secured qualification for the 2022–25 ICC Women’s Championship based on their WODI ranking.
Records
Test Matches
- Highest Team Total: 193/3 declared against Pakistan on 30 July 2000 at Trinity College Park, Dublin.
- Highest Individual Score: 68* by Caitriona Beggs against Pakistan on 30 July 2000 at Trinity College Park, Dublin.
- Best Innings Bowling: 6/21 by Isobel Joyce against Pakistan on 30 July 2000 at Trinity College Park, Dublin.
One-Day Internationals (ODIs)
- Highest Team Total: 337/8 against the Netherlands on 24 August 2022 at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen.
- Highest Individual Score: 137 by Leah Paul against the Netherlands on 24 August 2022 at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen.
- Best Innings Bowling: 6/31 by Cara Murray against Zimbabwe on 23 January 2023 at Harare Sports Club, Harare.
Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is)
- Highest Team Total: 213/4 against the Netherlands on 12 August 2019 at Sportpark Het Schootsveld, Deventer.
- Highest Individual Score: 119 by Gaby Lewis against Sri Lanka on 13 August 2024 at Sydney Parade, Dublin.
- Best Innings Bowling: 5/12 by Arlene Kelly against the Netherlands on 14 August 2023 at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen.
International grounds
- Clontarf Cricket Club Ground (Castle Avenue) – Dublin
- Civil Service Cricket Club Ground (Stormont) – Belfast
- Malahide Cricket Club Ground (The Village) – Malahide
- Bready Cricket Club Ground – Magheramason
