"Very exciting for a number of us who haven't played at Lord's": Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie

Captain of Ireland Andy Balbirine said that the team is excited to play a test match at Lord's cricket ground against one of the best teams in the world, England.

Ireland's captain Andy Balbirnie commented on the upcoming test against England at the Lord's, "It's very exciting for a number of us who haven't played at Lord's, but it's a special event in the English cricket calendar, never mind our own calendar. So we're very fortunate and privileged to be able to play there."

When asked about England's cricket he said, "We know the type of cricket England are playing is amazing to watch, so it'll be nice to come up against it and try to find our own way of competing against it. Hopefully, we can play good cricket and try to match them as best we can."

But Ireland's focus is more on the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The Irish team will travel to Zimbabwe for the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

Ireland can secure a direct entry into the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup if they win the Europe Regional Final in Scotland later this year.

To secure a direct entry to both the World Cups (T20 and ODI), Ireland can use another method as well. Ireland requires a top-two finish at both ICC tournaments (T20 and ODI) (Qualifiers) to earn a place in the event directly.

"I don't want to look too far ahead but, naturally that 50-over qualifier and T20 qualifier post-Zimbabwe are the two most important schedules in our calendar at the moment," Captian of Ireland Andy Belbirnie said. (ANI)