All you need to know for the Ireland T20 Tri-Series

What is it and when does it start?

Australia's preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Games will see them take on Ireland and Pakistan in a six-game tri-series, with all matches to be played at Bready Cricket Club, near the Northern Ireland city of Derry.

It all begins on Saturday (starting at 1am Sunday AEST) when Australia play Pakistan. Each team will play one another twice, with the highest ranked team at the end of the round-robin matches to take out the trophy. There's no final scheduled, with Australia and Pakistan to travel directly to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games after their last matches.

Image Id: EB8AC7DC98EB478AB5C96B3666DE4CD5 Image Caption: The picturesque Bready Cricket Club in Ireland // cricket.com.au

Schedule

July 16: Australia v Pakistan

July 17: Ireland v Australia

July 19: Ireland v Pakistan

July 21: Ireland v Australia

July 23: Australia v Pakistan

July 24: Ireland v Pakistan

All matches start 4pm local time (1am AEST the following day) and played at Bready Cricket Club, Derry, Northern Ireland

How can I watch? 

Australia's T20 tri-series matches will be broadcast in Australia on Foxtel and Kayo, while the games between Pakistan and Ireland can be watched via live stream HERE. 

For those in Australia who don't stay up overnight to watch live, full replays will be available on Kayo.

Kayo offers a 14-day free trial for new subscribers, and you can sign up for that here.

Image Id: 2EDCADB8F8B940D09F9E201EF596EA9F

What about live scores, news and highlights?

Cricket.com.au and the CA Live app have you covered here. There will be live scores for each T20 as well as match reports, breaking news, analysis and interviews from our reporters throughout the series.

You can also catch up on all the latest news via The Scoop Podcast, where hosts Emily Collin and Laura Jolly will be joined by special guests to dissect the tour. Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts and anywhere else you get your pods.

The Scoop returned this week to catch up with Australia's interim coach Shelley Nitschke.

What's the time difference like?

If you're in Australia, you'll need your coffee! Ireland is currently nine hours behind Australia's eastern seaboard, which makes the match times for Aussie viewers one for the night owls.

Every game will start at 4pm local, which is 1am AEST the following day, 12:30am in Adelaide and 11pm in Perth.

If you're staying up for the duration, matches are scheduled to run until 3.45am AEST (3:15am Adelaide, 1.45am Perth).

Squads

Australia: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington

Ireland: Laura Delany (c), Ava Canning, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Gaby Lewis, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron

Pakistan: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gul Feroza, Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Tuba Hassan.

How are the sides are shaping up?

Australia named the same 15-player squad that took out the ODI World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year, but on Tuesday were forced to call in allrounder Heather Graham as late back-up after spinner Jess Jonassen tested positive to COVID-19 on the eve of their departure for the UK.

Jonassen will miss the first two matches but is expected to fly out for Northern Ireland on Monday and should be available for the second half of the tri-series.

The No.1 ranked team take a new-look coaching panel into the Ireland tour and the Commonwealth Games, with Shelley Nitschke stepping up as interim head coach following Matthew Mott's departure to coach England's men's white-ball sides.

Assistant coach Ben Sawyer has departed to take charge of New Zealand's women, with Jude Coleman and Dan Marsh to assist Nitschke in Ireland and Birmingham.

The major talking point leading into the first match will be who replaces Jonassen in the Aussie XI, with spin-bowling allrounder Grace Harris and leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington among the leading candidates.

Ellyse Perry will hope to break back into the XI after being left on the sidelines during Australia's most recent T20s against England in January but will likely be unable to bowl as she recovers from a stress fracture in her lower back.

How Australia manage their pace bowlers, including speedster Darcie Brown, through four games in eight days – bearing in mind the Commonwealth Games will follow immediately after – will also be interesting.

Ireland captain Laura Delany is making a welcome return for Ireland after missing their recent series against South Africa due to injury, as does allrounder Orla Prendergast.

Teenagers Amy Hunter and Ava Canning – aged 16 and 18 respectively – also return after missing the matches against the Proteas due to education commitments, however the hosts made a late change just days out from their first game, with Shauna Kavanagh pulling out of the series due to personal reasons and replaced by Mary Waldron.

Pakistan have named the same group that pulled off their maiden T20I series sweep against Sri Lanka in May. One bowler to watch out for is leg-spinner Tuba Hassan, who made her debut against Sri Lanka and was named player of the series after taking five wickets in three games.

Another player to look out for is 17-year-old Ayesha Naseem – another player who was not part of the Pakistan side Australia played during the ODI World Cup and who produced a match-winning unbeaten 45 off 31 during the Sri Lanka series.

Form guide

Australia have played just one completed T20I in 2022, cruising to a nine-wicket win against England when they chased down 170 in 17 overs. The final two T20Is of the multi-format Ashes were washed out.

Ireland sprung a surprise in their first T20 against South Africa last month, claiming a 10-run victory – just their second win ever over the Proteas. However they lost both of the following two T20s by eight wickets, and were then whitewashed in the three-game ODI series. 

Pakistan will be buoyed by their first T20 whitewash against Sri Lanka in May, where they successfully chased targets of 107, 103 and 108 in what was a low-scoring series.

Prior to that tour, they had not played a 20-over game since July 2021, when they lost 0-3 to West Indies. 

Australia have an unbeaten record against both Pakistan and Ireland in T20Is, while Pakistan hold a 12-2 record against Ireland. Matches against Ireland are relatively rare for both Australia and Pakistan – neither side has played the hosts since the 2018 T20 World Cup.

Australia's Tour of the UK, 2022

Australia's squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington

T20 Tri-Series

Ireland squad:Laura Delany (c), Ava Canning, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Gaby Lewis, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron

Pakistan squad:Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gul Feroza, Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Tuba Hassan

July 16: Australia v Pakistan

July 17: Ireland v Australia

July 19: Ireland v Pakistan

July 21: Ireland v Australia

July 23: Australia v Pakistan

July 24: Ireland v Pakistan

All matches start 4pm local time (1am AEST) and played at Bready Cricket Club, Derry, Northern Ireland

2022 Commonwealth Games

July 29 v India (11am local time, 8pm AEST)

July 31 v Barbados (6pm local, 3am Aug 1 AEST)

August 3 v Pakistan (11am local, 8pm AEST)

Group A: Australia, India, Pakistan, Barbados

Group B: England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka

Semi-finals: August 6, 11am local (8pm AEST) and 6pm local (3am Aug 7 AEST)

Bronze medal match: August 7, 10am local (7pm AEST)

Gold medal match: August 7, 5pm local (2am Aug 8 AEST)

All matches played at Edgbaston Stadium