Ireland Coach Optimistic About Balbirnie’s T20 Future

Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan has assured that Andrew Balbirnie’s T20 career is not over, even though the Test captain has been left out of the squad for the upcoming two-match series against South Africa in Abu Dhabi.

While Balbirnie will not feature in the T20 matches, he is still part of the squad for the one-day games against South Africa next week. In his absence, former Ulster rugby player Ross Adair is expected to open the batting alongside Lorcan Tucker in Friday’s series opener.

Malan emphasised that Ireland is not in a position to discount any player from future consideration, including Balbirnie. He acknowledged Balbirnie’s consistency throughout his career and reiterated that he remains an important player for Ireland.

However, with Ireland already qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Malan believes this is the right time to explore other batting options. He noted that Balbirnie's average (23.45) and strike rate (123.23) in the T20 format could be improved and that experimenting with new combinations would strengthen the squad ahead of the tournament.

“We challenged him to adapt his game, but things didn’t completely go to plan,” Malan remarked, adding that the upcoming matches provide an opportunity to test different line-ups and build depth within the squad. With only 12 to 14 games left before the 2026 World Cup, the Ireland coach sees this as a crucial period for experimentation.

Malan also highlighted Ross Adair's potential role as a powerful opener or as a "finisher" later in the innings. He mentioned that the batting line-up would see changes, with Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, and Neil Rock filling the middle order, while wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker is confirmed to open the batting in Friday’s game.

The T20 matches in Abu Dhabi marked Ireland’s first since their disappointing World Cup campaign in June, where they suffered an unexpected defeat to Canada and were also beaten by India and Pakistan.

Fast bowler Josh Little will miss the series due to his commitments with the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League. Little has seen limited playing time with the franchise, and Malan mentioned that the Ireland management has been offering him support during this period of reduced competitive action.

"It's a phase where he's not playing as often as he'd like, but it gives him a chance to work on his game. Hopefully, the effort he’s putting in behind the scenes will pay off when he returns to play for us," Malan said.

South Africa, meanwhile, has fielded a relatively inexperienced squad for their white-ball series against Afghanistan and Ireland in Abu Dhabi. Despite suffering two heavy losses to Afghanistan in their recent ODI series, South Africa managed a consolation win in the third match.

Malan, a native of South Africa, predicted that his homeland would remain competitive, particularly with their familiarity with Abu Dhabi’s heat, which reached 39°C earlier in the week—24 degrees warmer than Dublin when the Irish team departed.

Despite the challenges, Malan believes that South Africa, led by players like Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs, still poses a formidable challenge. However, he sees the series as a good opportunity for Ireland to secure their first T20 win over the Proteas, having lost all five previous encounters.

The teams will clash again on Sunday, with the three-match one-day series starting next Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.