McCarthy’s return bolsters the bowling attack of the 15-man side led by Andy Balbirnie, which also includes Mark Adair, Josh Little, Craig Young, Graham Hume and Curtis Campher.
“With an attack from Adair, Little, Young, McCarthy, Hume and Campher, we feel we are back on track for our best attack,” said Andrew White, Ireland’s National Men’s Selector. “PJ Moor’s experience in Zimbabwean conditions and his versatility hitting numbers 1 to 7 gives us great coverage.”
“We’re heading into a big couple of months and it’s looking at what staff we need from a tactical point of view, who’s in shape and a team composition that fits the conditions we’re likely to face. Playing in the final stages of the tournaments for example, we’re probably on used pitches, so that’s where we see the value of a Ben White coming out.”
All-rounder Fionn Hand and lead-off hitter Stephen Doheny, who were both on the roster for the series against Bangladesh, were eliminated. Doheny had poor form with the bat, scoring just 33 runs in Chelmsford’s three games. He has played six of his nine ODIs against Bangladesh this year, passing 30 only once.
“Stephen is a player we admire and want to continue to invest in,” said White. “But we think now is the right time for him to step back and work on a few technical aspects of his game at the national level.”
Selection: Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.