Jai Moondra earns ODI call-up for Afghanistan series

Ireland have announced their squad for the first three ODIs of the five-match series against Afghanistan, starting August 5. The 14-member squad sees the return of captain Paul Stirling, who missed the India T20Is due to injury, and includes Jai Moondra, the hero of their historic T20I series win against the world champions. Ben Calitz and Moondra are the only T20I players with caps who have not played an ODI. Byron McDonough, a medium-pacer, has been given his first Ireland call-up. The 24-year-old was part of Leinster Lightning’s title-winning squad in the recent Inter-Provincial Limited Overs Cup, taking eight wickets in five games. In nine List A games so far, McDonough has 15 wickets at 29.33. On his selection, Andrew White, Cricket Ireland national selector, said: "We are particularly pleased to have Jai Moondra and Byron McDonough in the squad. Both players bring different attributes that we believe can have a real impact over the course of the series while Gavin Hoey provides a genuine wicket taking threat through the middle overs with his ability to spin the ball both ways and create pressure on opposition batters. "From a batting standpoint, Ben Calitz's powerful and dynamic approach provides the team with valuable middle- to lower-order options. His ability to change the momentum of a game is a real asset.'' Just like the India T20Is, there are a string of absentees: six players were unavailable for selection: Josh Little, Matt Hollard, Craig Young, Barry McCarthy, Jordan Neill and David Delany, either to injury or return-to-play protocol. The squad for the final two ODIs will be announced after assessing player fitness, and a decision will be made if changes are needed. It will be the first assignment for newly appointed head coach Gary Wilson, who took over the role from Heinrich Malan. A part of the series will also coincide with Jonathan Trott’s consultancy role with the Ireland team. He will be available to provide support for the first two games of the series against the team he previously coached. This will be Ireland’s first men’s bilateral ODI series since they hosted West Indies in May 2025. The first two matches will be held in Bready, while the last three will take place in Stormont.