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Josh Little, the Gujarat Titans fast bowler, will travel back home for national duty as he has been named in Ireland's squad for the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against Bangladesh, which starts on May 9.
Little played his last match on Friday against Rajasthan Royals, in which GT registered a comfortable 9-wicket victory. "We wish Josh the best as he heads back to represent Ireland in the ODIs. He has had a good run in his first Indian Premier League and we look forward to welcoming him back once he finishes the ODI series," said Vikram Solanki, Director of Cricket, Gujarat Titans. Little will travel back to India to join the Gujarat Titans after the third ODI against Bangladesh on May 14. Little has featured in eight matches for Gujarat Titans and picked up six wickets with an economy of 8.21. GT overall have had a dominant season as they currently lead the IPL group table with 14 points in 10 matches. The defending champions have registered seven victories and suffered only three losses during this season. Earlier, Ireland Cricket named their 14-member squad for the three-match home ODI series against Bangladesh, a series they must win 3-0 to qualify automatically for the 50-over World Cup at South Africa's expense. Ireland will host Bangladesh in May in a three-match ODI series that will be the last of the Cricket World Cup Super League games. The series will be crucial for Ireland who are still in with a chance for direct qualification if they manage to whitewash the Tigers 3-0. "The three-match ODI series between Ireland Men and Bangladesh Men are the last fixtures in the ICC World Cup Super League and offers Ireland a potential automatic qualification spot in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 if the Men in Green can win all three matches. Bangladesh has already qualified for the global tournament," Ireland Cricket said in a release. The first match of the ODI series will be played at Chelmsford on May 9 while the second and third will take place on May 12 and 14 respectively. Ireland is 11th in the standings with 68 points and may catch South Africa (98 points). To clinch a direct qualification berth for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, the hosts must improve their net run rate and avoid dropping penalty points. Craig Young is back in the 14-member squad after a long injury layoff. The 32-year-old seamer was ruled out of the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup due to a recurring injury issue but returns in time for the crucial ODI series. Conor Olphert, Matthew Humphreys and Ross Adair will be unavailable due to examination/work commitments. "The senior squad has a more familiar look, with much of the squad having been part of the set-up in Zimbabwe (January) and Bangladesh (March) ODI fixtures. We do, however, welcome Craig Young back into the senior side after his long journey of recovery from injury," Andrew White, National Men's Selector said in an official statement released by Ireland Cricket. "We are pleased to also have the services of Josh Little, who has been playing in the IPL over the last month. After a tough tour to Bangladesh last month, the lads will be keen to show their talent and skills in more familiar conditions - and with potential world cup qualification on the line, they will need no additional motivation to succeed," he added. Squad: Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker and Craig Young. (ANI)
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