Joshua Little to Miss Ireland's one-off Test Against England

image-lhftpw23Joshua Little playing for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 [Source: Twitter]

One of world cricket's rising stars, Joshua Little will miss Ireland's one-off Test against England next month. Little, who is currently with the Irish One-Day International (ODI) side for their three-match home series against Bangladesh, is also seen participating in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) for defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT).

Cricket Ireland (CI) announced a 15-man squad for the England Test, which is sans Little. In a statement, selector Andrew White emphasised on Little's importance for Ireland going forward. Andrew Balbirnie will lead Ireland at Lord's against England, who are yet to name their squad for the Test. 

Here's what White said:

“Although the IPL will have finished, we are very conscious of the need for Josh to rest, recover and prepare for what will be a busy and important summer for us in white ball cricket.”

Riding on the back of an impressive ICC T20 World Cup 2022 campaign for Ireland, Little became the first player from his nation to be picked up by an IPL franchise. The 23-year-old missed Ireland's last three Test assignments due to his IPL stint.

Ireland are yet to win a Test and will play a five-day match against Zimbabwe in December after an encounter against England.

The first ODI against Bangladesh starts today at Chelmsford. 

Ireland squad for Lord’s Test

Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Conor Olphert, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, and Craig Young.