“There’s no reason why we can’t claim further successes in Australia and New Zealand”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Ireland have named William Porterfield as their captain for the 2015 World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.

Instead of experimenting with some up and coming talents, Ireland have opted to retain the same 15 players that were at their pre-World Cup training camp.

“It’s fantastic to be leading Ireland in another global tournament,” Porterfield said. “We’ve produced some wonderful performances over the years in World Cups, and there’s no reason why we can’t claim further successes in Australia and New Zealand.

“While we may have lost the surprise factor over the years, we’ve certainly gained a lot of respect for our brand of cricket – which has been pretty pleasing.

“There’s a great mix as always in the squad, and the younger guys coming through are all hungry – which keeps the more experienced players on their toes. Competition for places has been fierce, and that’s got to be good for Irish cricket.”

Ireland’s World Cup Squad: William Porterfield (Captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien (wk), Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson (wkt), Craig Young