Ross Adair, Matt Foster, Fionn Hand, PJ Moor and Ben White have been included in the 21-member contract list
Cricket Ireland have announced central contracts for Ireland Men and Women, the board announced on June 4 (Tuesday). Ross Adair, Matt Foster, Fionn Hand, PJ Moor and Ben White have been included in the 21-member contract list, up from 14 which was offered in the 2023-24 cycle. Among the most notable absentee is Simi Singh, who last played for Ireland in 2022.
Gavin Hoey, Matthew Humphreys, Tom Mayes and Liam McCarthy have been handed Retainer Contracts. For the first time, Ireland have handed out as many as 12 full-time contracts to their women players. Casual Contracts have been handed to Christina Coulter Reilly, Abbi Harrison, Kia McCartney and Alice Tector while Una Raymond-Hoey has been given a retainer contract.
Ava Canning, Georgina Dempsey, Sarah Forbes, Amy Hunter, Joanna Loughran and Aimee Maguire have been handed Educational Contracts.
Andrew White, Men’s National Selector, said, “As our talent pool grows, so too does the challenge of selecting central contracts. With an increasing volume of cricket to play both home and away, our need to nurture and develop the talent to compete at the highest level becomes more acute and selecting the right mix of players to receive central contracts is one of the most consequential decisions we can make as an organisation.
“Our players are our assets, and we are constantly monitoring, reviewing and discussing the progress and performances of our players to ensure we have the best talent available to the head coach and captain.
“We welcome the recent news about Heinrich Malan’s contract extension and I look forward to continuing to work with him in shaping the direction and succession planning of the squad over the coming years.”
Ciara O’Brien, Women’s National Selector, said, “Women’s cricket continues to progress, and I am delighted that we have been able to increase the number of full-time contracts offered to a record 12 this year.
“We have a young but exceptionally talented cohort of players – although their average age is just over 21, it is a group of players who have built up a great deal of experience in the last few years.
“This year we are also welcoming the return of Una Raymond-Hoey to the Irish set-up on a retainer basis. Una, who has 15 caps for Ireland, has spent the last five years in Australia – playing cricket and rising through the ranks of representing Victoria, and being part of the Melbourne Stars squad in the Women’s Big Bash.”
Ireland Men are currently participating in the T20 World Cup 2024, where they will take on India in the tournament opener against India on June 5 (Wednesday) in New York.
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