After a frustrating year for the Ireland, batter Harry Tector is backing the side to respond as they take on Bangladesh in the first of two Test matches ahead of three T20 internationals later in the year.
The squad have had extraordinarily little cricket in 2025, a year which saw Ireland beat Zimbabwe in their only Test match this year in February in Harare, and they’ll be hoping for more success in Shylet and Mirpur.
That trip to Zimbabwe, which included one day and T20 games, was followed by home white ball games against the West Indies and three T20 fixtures against England at Malahide (one of which was abandoned due to rain)
And that was it.
Players featured in the inter-pro series or went back to competing with their respective clubs, such was the paucity of games on the international men's calendar.
To the relief of the squad, they will finally get back on the field of play with the first of two Tests beginning in the early hours of Tuesday morning (3.30am Irish Time) in Shylet.
"We're all certainly looking forward to Test cricket. It's obviously a very rewarding format," said Irish all-rounder Harry Tector ahead of day one of the potential five-day Test against Bangladesh.
"I think the feeling you get after winning a Test match is different from any other format because you know that as a team you've had to play well for a number of days and put in consistent performances back-to-back in tough conditions; it's super-rewarding."
Since Ireland became a Test playing nation, they have only played in ten such encounters since the 2018 defeat to Pakistan - their very first one in Malahide. That list includes back-to-back Tests against Sri Lanka as well as two Tests against England, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and once against Bangladesh.
Bangladesh won that fixture by seven wickets in Mirpur back in April 2023, with Tector making his Test debut in that game, scoring a half-century in each innings, but ultimately it was to no avail
Ireland now see this series as the beginning of their season, rather than the end of the current campaign as there are games coming down the line over the next few months, including the T20 World Cup finals in India and Sri Lanka in February 2026, and a one-off home Test match against New Zealand in May.
Bangladesh are due in Ireland next year for ODI and T20 fixtures, while Afghanistan will be Ireland’s opponents in two Test games, one in Ireland the second most likely in Dubai.
A squad of 15 will represent Ireland in the two Tests and five of those, batters Cade Carmichael and Stephen Doneny, all-rounder Jordan Nell, plus bowlers Liam McCarthy and Gavin Hoey, have yet to make their Test debuts
Despite that, Tector says that Tuesday’s opener against Bangladesh is something he relishes.
"I’ve fond memories of the last Test in Bangladesh for sure and making my Test debut with so many of the other guys was very exciting.
"I probably would have liked to have converted one of those 50s into a 100, a big 100, so we could have more runs on the board."
As regards the opening Test in Shylet, Tector added: "Everyone seems to have a take on what the pitches will be like in Bangladesh. I think you can get caught up in that too much."
"I think it's important as players, and particularly as batsmen, to just assess conditions the morning of the game, what it looks like, what it's like overhead and you know once you're out there reacting to what you think the pitch is doing, sort of trusting that your practice is going to hold you in good stead for whatever the conditions and the bowlers dictate to you."
"Last time we played there it was really good wicket and good for batting and this time around it could be the same or it could be totally different and could spin lots. You have to be prepared for everything, but I'm not too concerned with what they produce.
"I would back us to perform on it and hopefully outperform them on those wickets.
"Spin a big factor always in Bangladesh but I don't see myself contributing much with the ball. I think we have got three quality frontline spinners in Matthew (Humphries), Andrew McBride and Gavin Hoey, and all three of them provide something different which is brilliant for us to have that variety in our attack.
"It's only our second time ever playing a multi Test series so we're all looking forward to that and I think there's a very big amount of pride and motivation in the group coming off three Test wins in a row and looking to build on that and keep putting markers that we're competing and performing at the highest level of cricket."
Andy Balbirnie will captain the Test squad, which includes Paul Stirling, who will then take over to skipper the T20 team as they continue preparations for next year's World Cup.
Ireland’s T20 opener Ross Adair has withdrawn from the squad with a bone stress in his knee. Jordan Neill will stay on after the Test matches to replace him in the T20 squad.
First test - 11 November: Bangladesh v Ireland (Sylhet)
Second test - 19 November: Bangladesh v Ireland (Mirpur)
First T20 - 27 November: Bangladesh v Ireland (Chattogram)
Second T20 - 29 November: Bangladesh v Ireland (Chattogram)
Third T20 - 2 December: Bangladesh v Ireland (Mirpur)
