WESTBURY, New York — Captain Paul Stirling won the toss and opted for Ireland to bowl first against Canada in the Twenty20 World Cup on Friday.
Both sides seek a first win after losing their opening games against India and the United States, respectively.
The U.S. leads Group A with two wins in two games after its shock win over Pakistan on Thursday. India is second.
Ireland has made one change from its loss against India, leaving out wrist spinner Benjamin White and bringing in pacer Craig Young.
Canada, too, has made one change; spin allrounder Junaid Siddiqui comes in for off-spinner Nikhil Dutta.
The pitch at Nassau County Stadium has come under sharp criticism for its dual-paced nature. Even the slow-paced outfield is in the spotlight.
The ICC released a statement on Thursday stating “the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted. The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of Wednesday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches.”
The area received heavy rainfall on Wednesday, and all eyes will once again be on how the pitch and outfield behave. There is a pertinent absence of grass cover on the pitch compared to the first two matches here.
Lineups:
Ireland: Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling , Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little, Craig Young.
Canada: Aaron Johnson, Navneet Dhaliwal, Pargat Singh, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva, Dilpreet Bajwa, Saad Bin Zafar , Dillon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Junaid Siddiqui, Jeremy Gordon.
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