Ireland vs West Indies Match Preview | In-form Ireland eye ODI series win after dominant win in the first ODI
After a dominant first ODI, Ireland will aim to wrap up the three-match ODI contest with another win. Put in to bat after losing the toss, the hosts posted a total of 303 in the first innings, powered by Andrew Balbirnie’s brilliant century and a solid half-century from skipper Paul Stirling.
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International career
Andrew Balbirnie was born on 28 December 1990 in Dublin, Ireland. He is a right-handed batsman and sometimes a wicketkeeper. Balbirnie went to St. Andrew's College. He made history as one of the 11 cricketers to play in Ireland’s first-ever Test match against Pakistan in May 2018.
In December 2018, he was one of 19 players to receive a central contract from Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season. A year later, in November 2019, Balbirnie became the captain of Ireland’s Test and ODI teams after William Porterfield stepped down. He also took over as the captain of Ireland’s T20I team, replacing Gary Wilson.
In January 2020, Balbirnie was again named among the 19 players who received central contracts from Cricket Ireland. This was the first time these contracts were full-time.
- 2010
- Balbirnie was part of Ireland's winning team in the ICC World Cricket League Division One. This tournament also marked his debut in List A cricket and ODI cricket against Scotland.
- 2015
- In January, Balbirnie was selected for Ireland's 15-man squad for the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
- In June, he made his T20I debut against Scotland, although the match was abandoned due to rain.
- In February 2016, he was again named to Ireland's squad for the 2016 T20 World Cup.
- 2017
- Balbirnie toured Bangladesh with the Ireland A team, where they played one first-class match and five limited-overs matches against Bangladesh A.
- 2018
- Balbirnie was part of the 14-man squad for Ireland's first-ever Test match, played against Pakistan in May.
- He made his Test debut on May 11, 2018, but was dismissed for a pair (zero runs in both innings), becoming the first Irish batsman to achieve this feat on debut.
- 2019
- Balbirnie was named in Ireland’s squad for their one-off Test match against Afghanistan in Dehradun.
- In May, he played his 100th international match for Ireland in the opening match of the 2019 Ireland Tri-Nation Series against the West Indies.
- He was named captain of Ireland’s team across all formats (Test, ODI, and T20I) in November.
- 2020
- Balbirnie was included in the squad for Ireland's ODI series against England in July. He scored his 2,000th run in ODI cricket during the third match, which Ireland won by seven wickets.
- 2021
- Balbirnie led Ireland to their first-ever ODI victory against South Africa in July, scoring 102 runs off 117 balls.
- In September, he was named captain of Ireland's provisional squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
- 2022
- On October 26, Balbirnie scored a half-century (62 runs off 47 balls) in a T20I against England, helping Ireland win the match in the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
- 2023
- Balbirnie stepped down as captain of Ireland’s limited-overs teams in July after Ireland failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup.
- He led Ireland to their first-ever Test win in March 2024, against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi, where he scored an unbeaten half-century in the fourth innings.
- 2024
- In May, Balbirnie was named in Ireland’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
- On June 5, 2024, he participated in the T20 World Cup match between India and Ireland in New York.
- By 2024, Balbirnie had made 109 appearances in T20I cricket, close to becoming the third most-capped player for Ireland in T20I matches. His 2024 average in T20I cricket stood at 27.1.
Recent Matches
- Test: In February 2025, he played his latest Test match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, scoring 9 runs off 11 balls.
- ODI: In February 2025, he contributed 64 runs off 99 balls in an ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare.
- T20I: His most recent T20I was against Pakistan in June 2024, where he scored 0 runs off 3 balls.
Leagues Participation
Andrew Balbirnie has participated in various prominent T20 leagues, gaining valuable experience on the global stage.
Bangladesh Premier League
Andrew Balbirnie, the captain of Ireland's national cricket team, has played in a few well-known cricket leagues. He played for the Khulna Titans in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in 2023.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2023
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Khulna Titans
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Played 5 matches in the BPL.
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Indian Premier League (IPL)
Andrew Balbirnie has spoken about the desire of many Irish players to join the Indian Premier League (IPL), calling it "the pinnacle of T20 cricket". He emphasized that playing in such a tournament helps players grow quickly. However, as of 2022, no Irish cricketer had been contracted to play in the IPL.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2022
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N/A
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No Irish cricketer had a contract to play in the IPL.
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Vitality Blast
Andrew Balbirnie joined Glamorgan for the 2020 Vitality Blast after missing most of the 2016 season due to a hip injury. In 2020, he scored 99 runs, the highest individual score for Glamorgan in T20 cricket. This helped the team beat Gloucestershire by 17 runs. In 2019, Balbirnie was picked to play for the Dublin Chiefs in the Euro T20 Slam, but the tournament was cancelled.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2016
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Middlesex
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Missed most of the season due to a hip injury.
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2020
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Glamorgan
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Scored 99 runs, highest individual score for Glamorgan in T20.
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2019
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Dublin Chiefs
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Picked for the Euro T20 Slam, but the tournament was cancelled.
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Domestic career
Andrew Balbirnie has played domestic cricket for several teams in different formats. He started his first-class career in 2012 with Cardiff MCCU against Somerset. His first List A match was in 2010 against Scotland. Balbirnie made his T20 debut in 2014 for Middlesex against Essex.
He played for Middlesex and Cardiff MCCU between 2011 and 2015. Since 2013, he has been part of Leinster Lightning. Balbirnie also spent time with Glamorgan during the 2020-2021 seasons. He represented Ireland at the Under-19 level, leading the team to win the 2009 Under-19 World Cup Qualifier.
In 2017, he scored his first-class century in a match against the Netherlands. In the 2018 Inter-Provincial Trophy, he scored 262 runs and was the tournament's top run-scorer. He also scored 302 runs for Leinster Lightning in the 2018 Inter-Provincial Championship.
In 2019, Balbirnie was picked to play for Dublin Chiefs in the Euro T20 Slam, but the tournament was cancelled.
Records and achievements
Andrew Balbirnie has achieved many milestones throughout his career:
- 26 October 2022: Scored 62 runs in 47 balls, leading Ireland to beat England in the 2022 Cricket World Cup T20.
- 13 July 2021: Led Ireland to their first-ever ODI win against South Africa, scoring 102 runs from 117 balls.
- Test Matches (as of February 2025): Played 10 games, scored 476 runs with an average of 25. He hit 55 fours and no sixes.
- ODI Matches (as of February 2025): Played 114 games, scored 3,149 runs with an average of 31. He made 300 fours and 39 sixes.
- T20 Matches (as of February 2025): Played 110 games, scored 2,392 runs with an average of 23. He hit 254 fours and 68 sixes.
- August 2020: Scored 113 runs to help Ireland beat England in an ODI match.
- August 2021: Led Ireland to another ODI win, scoring 112 runs against South Africa.
Personal life
Andrew Balbirnie is the captain of the Irish national cricket team and keeps his personal life mostly private.
Finance
Andrew Balbirnie’s estimated net worth is between 1 and 5 million US dollars.
Family
Andrew’s parents are Ashley Balbirnie and Candy Lappin. He was born on December 28, 1990, in Dublin, Ireland. He married Kate McKenna on June 17, 2022, in Pulafook, County Kildare, Ireland. There are no reports of children as of 2025.
Scandals
In March 2024, Andrew was fined 25% of his match fee for breaking the ICC Code of Conduct during a T20I match against Afghanistan in Sharjah. The violation occurred when he disagreed with the umpire’s decision during the 16th over, claiming the ball had hit his gloves before hitting his pads. He admitted the breach and accepted the fine without the need for a formal hearing.
Fans
Andrew Balbirnie has a loyal following, especially in Ireland. In 2022, he expressed pride in his team’s performance at the T20 World Cup, even though Ireland did not make it past the group stage. He has 18k followers on Instagram.
