Ireland confirm T20 World Cup squad following delay for Delany

IT hasn’t taken long for David Delany to become a vital player in Ireland’s T20 team. The delay in naming the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup qualifying tournament next month was ensuring the availability of the 21-year-old student.

Delany is currently in his last year at university and could not take five weeks off to go with Ireland to Oman for the pentangular tournament — also involving the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Nepal and the hosts — and then go onto the UAE for the qualifiers.

So it was finally agreed on Wednesday that Delany would miss the Oman tournament but will join up with the team in the Emirates for two official warmup games on October 14-15.

The Clontarf pace bowler (below) made his Ireland debut only 10 days ago, in the T20 Tri-Series in Malahide, but after conceding only 24 runs in his four overs in each of his second and third games, he became a must-have player for head coach Graham Ford.

As confirmed in the Belfast Telegraph yesterday, the squad that won the Tri-Series against Scotland and the Netherlands is unchanged for the qualifiers, with Barry McCarthy replacing Delany in Oman, automatically promoting the former Durham professional to first bowling reserve in case of injury in the UAE.

“The T20 squad gelled quickly during that last series and the character the players displayed was admirable,” said chairman of selectors Andrew White.

“They showed the fighting spirit that Irish teams have been renowned for, so it is great to see that coming through, particularly in the newer members of the squad.”

The squad leave for Oman on Monday, with their first tournament match, against the Netherlands, on Saturday.

One other Northern Ireland man will be on duty at the qualifiers with North West umpire Roland Black confirmed as one of the officials.

Ireland T20 WC Qualifying squad: G Wilson, M Adair, A Balbirnie, D Delany, G Delany, G Dockrell, S Getkate, K O’Brien, B Rankin, S Singh, P Stirling, H Tector, S Thompson, L Tucker, C Young.

Oman five-nations tournament: except B McCarthy for D Delany.

As above,