Former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper batsman PJ Moor is in line to face his country of birth for the first time, after being named in Ireland’s squad for the upcoming one-off Test against Zimbabwe, which begins on July 25 in Belfast.
The one-off Test against Zimbabwe will not only be Ireland’s first against the African nation, but will also be Harare-born Moor’s first international game against his country of birth.
Moor had qualified to play for Ireland in October 2022 and was more recently part of the Ireland side, which earned their first Test win in Abu Dhabi.
Prior to switching nationality, Moor played eight Tests, 49 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Zimbabwe.
Moor who also possessed an Irish passport became eligible to play for his adopted nation in October of 2022, three years on from his last cap for Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile Ireland’s national men’s selector Andrew White confirmed a 14-member squad for the one-off Zimbabwe Test in a press conference on Wednesday.
While the squad has a familiar look, spinners Matthew Humphreys and Gavin Hoey are key additions to the red-ball team for the one-off Test match.
Earlier this year, in March, Ireland created history when they recorded their maiden victory in the longest format since achieving full Test status, beating Afghanistan in UAE by six wickets.
This will be the first-ever Test to be hosted in the Northern Ireland and their second home Test in nearly seven years. It will be played at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont in Belfast from 25 to 29 July.
“On the back of our first victory [against Afghanistan], we’re definitely looking to back that up with another win,” White said.
“We’re not looking to just pick a squad that will compete, we’re looking at a squad that can actually win the Test match – by taking 20 wickets and scoring the runs that we need to score arguably in the first innings to set up the victory.”
Ireland Test squad: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.