Curtis Campher may have enjoyed his recent stint in the Bangladesh Premier League, but says the hard work starts now as Ireland continue their development as a three-format team.
The 24-year-old moved to Ireland from South Africa four years ago and has amassed 83 international caps for Ireland, including having played in four of Ireland's seven Test matches.
The Munster Reds and YMCA all-rounder, who qualifies for Ireland through his grandmother has starred for his country in different formats.
Having started his Irish international career with twin half-centuries against England, he has taken 57 wickets across all formats
Asked for highlights to date, Campher admits there are a few to choose from.
"Looking back now, beating England in an ODI during my first series, that was a massive game to be a part of," he said.
"I think my favourite series would be probably the West Indies series away in early 2021 - beating them during Covid times, it was a tough trip both on and off the field, but we had great squad rapport and played really good cricket.
"Then probably my favourite tour would have to be the Australia T20 World Cup - to beat England again at the MCG, I think that would be my favourite World Cup experience."
The Ireland squad is currently preparing multi-format series against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.
The tour will see the two sides face off in their second Test match, the first in 2019 saw the Afghans come away with a seven-wicket victory.
Matthew Foster, Barry McCarthy, Theo van Woerkom and Craig Young are all in line to make their Test debuts if selected and Campher says he feels very much at home in the Irish set-up.
"I was made to feel very welcome early on, have settled into the system and have made some really good friends," he said.
"Looking at the development of the squad over the last few years, Ireland has been breeding a new, young squad which is now growing a resilience and maturity. We’re still young but we are quite an experienced squad nonetheless."
The series begins on 28 February with the Test matcha nd concludes on 18 March with a T20 international.
Asked for his preferred format, Campher said: "I think for me the best format is definitely Test cricket - it's the longest and hardest format to play, and it tests you in all different ways.
"It's one of the purest forms of the game. Test cricket is at a different level."
"Series like this can be challenging, as it can be quite difficult to switch focus between different formats, but that’s the reality of international cricket."
