The men’s cricket team from Ireland has opted to postpone their planned multi-format home series against Afghanistan because of budgetary limitations. The ICC Men’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) series was scheduled to include three ODIs, three T20Is, and one Test match. In light of Ireland’s ongoing financial struggles and hectic international schedule, Cricket Ireland’s (CI) decision was solely financial in nature and not political.
Ireland became a Full Member of the ICC in 2017, yet the cancellation was nevertheless made. Only two of the ten Test matches the Irish team has played have been hosted, and they recently defeated Afghanistan in the UAE in 2024 for their first Test victory. Infrastructure constraints and the high operating costs of holding a full-fledged international series make financial sustainability difficult despite its expansion.
Due to immediate financial constraints and to ensure balanced investment across Cricket Ireland’s priorities, CEO Warren Deutrom announced the Afghanistan series had to be cancelled.
The decision, he explained, had nothing to do with political matters, such as Australia and England’s decisions to refrain from playing bilateral cricket with Afghanistan because of human rights concerns.
“One scheduled series that will not proceed due to financial constraints is the one versus Afghanistan. We made this choice in order to manage our short-term financial restrictions and to fulfil the Board’s duty to provide balanced investment throughout the organization’s strategic objectives. The Deutrom
West Indies will play an ODI and T20I series against Ireland.
Even with the cancellation of the Afghanistan series, Ireland has a full international schedule. Following a historic first-ever home T20I series against England in September, the men’s senior squad will host the West Indies in an ODI and T20I series in May and June.
In April, the women’s squad will play in the 50-over World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the West Indies. Zimbabwe Women will also go to Ireland in July and play Pakistan Women in a Twenty20 series in August.
Ireland’s A-team, Ireland Wolves, will play Afghanistan A in a series of matches in Abu Dhabi, guaranteeing that cricket matches between the two countries stay at the developing stage. Along with Scotland and the Netherlands, Ireland’s men’s team will play in the European T20 Premier League in July.
With the construction of a permanent international stadium in Dublin, Irish cricket’s long-term financial stability should improve. Designed to improve the national team’s readiness to co-host the 2030 ICC T20 World Cup with England and Scotland, the project was approved by the Irish government in August 2023 and is anticipated to be finished by 2028.
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