Ex-Ulster rugby player Ross Adair set for Ireland debut in T20 series with Zimbabwe

Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie confirmed that Tyrone Kane also returns to the fold for the first time since 2019 and will bat at number seven.

With a spot open at the top of the order, Balbirnie confirmed that former Ulster rugby player Adair will join him by opening the batting on Thursday. Adair, who scored a try in his only senior union appearance for Ulster in 2015, will be making his international debut alongside his brother Mark.

“Ross is going to open the batting with me and Steven Doheny’s going to bat at three,” Balbirnie said.

"Ross has done some really impressive stuff at inter-provincial level and deserves a chance. I had a brief chat with him yesterday. I wanted to give him as much warning beforehand that he was going get the nod.

"Our key message to him is to just play no differently to the way he's played to date. I remember when I got my debut, even my first 10 or 15 games, I maybe tried to play differently to how I naturally played. Our message to Ross is he's such a powerful opening batter and you can do some real damage.

"But he also has to understand that it won't just happen in the first or second over, you've sometimes got to bed yourself in a bit and then take advantage. It's an incredible sporting story if you like, and I know he's really excited for tomorrow.

“We're really excited to see where he goes. To have both him and Mark play together is pretty special. I don't want to put any more added pressure on him because international cricket is tough enough, but it's also a lot of fun, and the way he plays it is fun to watch. So hopefully he can just go out with that free mind and enjoy himself in the three games.”

With Paul Stirling, Josh Little and Lorcan Tucker released to play in T20 franchise tournaments in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, Balbirnie spoke about the opportunities available to other members of the squad.

“In previous years we've had our full squad available at all times, barring injury. It’s a unique scenario where we've got three of our key players who are being picked up in some of the top leagues in the world,” Balbirnie said.

"That exposure is so valuable to those players. Financially it's big as well – there’s no hiding from that.

“But it also gives us an opportunity to look at some other players. I've spoken before about not having a massive amount of [Ireland] Wolves cricket to see guys and how they perform at that level, so these three games give us a look at a couple of new players who we haven't seen play international cricket before and see how they can cope.

“It's good exposure for a lot of us to be playing these different leagues, but we also have to find a balance and make sure that we're fresh and ready to go once international cricket is in front of us.”