Ireland Cricket Schedule

Ireland, the 11th Full Member of the ICC, is another of the few Test-playing nations in the world. Ireland’s status as a cricket nation has strengthened in the last few years, particularly since the country acquired Test status in 2017. Ireland’s cricket is governed by Cricket Ireland, the central governing body for cricket in the country.

Ireland’s cricket team has a rich history in the sport considering their proximity to England. Ireland first participated in a cricket match in the middle of the 19th century but their inaugural first-class match was in 1902.

Ireland first became an Associate Member of the ICC in 1993. Their first ODI was against England in Belfast in June 2006. Since that inflection point, Ireland continued to gain traction and even qualified for the ICC Cricket World in 2007, where they beat Pakistan and Bangladesh. Ireland played their first T20I a year later, in 2008 against Scotland in Stormont.

A landmark moment in Ireland’s history came in 2017, when they were awarded Test match status along with Afghanistan. Their first Test match was against Pakistan in Malahide in May 2018.

Cricket Ireland streams several domestic matches live without restrictions. You can watch almost all T20 matches from the Inter Provincial Trophy live on the official YouTube channel: Cricket Ireland Live.

The Inter Provincial Championship is Ireland’s first-class competition, played by teams from various provinces in the country. The first edition of the Inter Provincial Championship was played in 2013.

Four teams participate in an annual List A tournament, called the Inter Provincial Cup. The first edition of the competition was held in 2013. However, the tournament did not hold List A status till 2016. Only three teams participated in the tournament from 2013 to 2020 before an additional team was added from the 2021 season.

The tournament follows a double round-robin format where each team plays each other twice. Leinster Lightning are the most successful team with nine titles. Each team receives four points for a win while two points are awarded for a draw or no result. Apart from Leinster Lightning, Northern Knights, North West Warriors and Munster Reds also participate in the Inter Provincial Cup.

The Inter Provincial Trophy is Ireland’s premier T20 domestic tournament, played between four teams in the region. The first edition of the tournament was held in 2013. The format for the tournament is a triple round robin with each team facing each other three times.

Three teams participated in the tournament from 2013 to 2016 before Munster Reds were added in 2017. Leinster Lightning are the most successful team in this tournament with eight titles.