World Cup Qualifier 2023: Following Ireland's failure to qualify for the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, team captain Andrew Balbirnie decided to step down from the limited overs role, Cricket Ireland confirmed on Tuesday. Balbirnie, who led Ireland from 2019 onwards, made the move after Ireland's playoff match in the Qualifier against Nepal on Tuesday. He will be replaced by Paul Stirling, who takes the job on an interim level.
Ireland's ODI World Cup Qualifier 2023 campaign came to a sad end when they managed to win just 1 match in the Group stage. In Group B, they defeated only UAE and went down to Sri Lanka, Scotland and Oman to remain in second last. The Irish team featured in the playoffs, where they first beat UAE in the 7th place playoff semifinal, before edging past Nepal to take 7th place in the tournament.
After leading his team to a win in his final match, the 32-year-old Balbirnie took the call. "After much thought and consideration, I have made the decision to step down as ODI and T20I captain. It has been one of my great honours to lead this team over the last few years and I am hugely grateful for all the support I received on and off the pitch from the many players, coaches, Cricket Ireland and supporters of the Ireland team," he said.
"I feel this is the right time for me, but more importantly the team. I will continue to do my best for this team and work hard to contribute towards what I hope will be a successful period over the next number of years. Thank you," Balbirnie concluded.
Balbirnie took over as captain in late 2019 and led his team in four Tests, 33 ODIs and 52 T20Is. He will now be replaced by Stirling, who had earlier led Ireland in 13 games. Stirling captained the Irish side in four ODIs and nine T20Is. The country's Board also stated that they will be announcing the squad for the Men's T20 World Cup European Qualifier imminently.
