PJ Moor to make Ireland ODI debut in home country

26 May, 2023 - 00:05 0 Views
PJ Moor to make Ireland ODI debut in home country Peter Joseph Moor

Suburban

Peter Joseph Moor has the chance to make his one-day international debut for Ireland in his home country after being named in the 15-man squad for next month’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe.

The 32-year-old, who played eight Tests and 49 internationals for Zimbabwe before qualifying for Ireland, played in all three Tests for his adopted country against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka last month but this is his first time in the ODI squad.

Ironically Moor’s last ODI appearance four years ago came against Ireland and he will now be hoping to help his adopted nation in the qualifier from which two teams would make it to the main event in India later in the year.

“PJ’s experience in Zimbabwean conditions and his versatility batting anywhere from one to seven gives us great cover,” explained Ireland Cricket’s chairman of selectors Andrew White.

The upcoming qualifier will see ten teams, including host nation Zimbabwe, West Indies and Sri Lanka, competing for the two remaining places for the upcoming World Cup to be played in India later this year.

Andrew Balbirnie will lead a strong Ireland side, which will start their campaign in Group B alongside Sri Lanka, Scotland, Oman, and UAE.

Twelve of the squad were in Zimbabwe in January when the hosts won the ODI series 2-1, with Moor being joined by Craig Young and Ben White, the latter also being singled out by his namesake, with the leg spinner’s “value coming to the fore in the latter stages of the tournament when we are likely to playing on used pitches”.

The fixtures for the tournament were announced on Tuesday with Ireland based in Bulawayo for group games against Sri Lanka, Scotland, Oman and the UAE, with only the top three going through to the Super Six stage.

Born into a cricketing family – his uncle, father and brother are all cricketers – in Harare, Peter Moor has held a lifelong fascination for the game, taking it up aged just five. A product of the prestigious St John’s College, Moor holds the record for the school’s highest individual score, 214 not out. His talent as a wicketkeeper batsman was recognised young, and he was picked for the Zimbabwe Under-19 side as a 16 year old and represented them at two youth World Cups, in 2008 and 2010. Moor initially struggled to nail down a regular place in Zimbabwean domestic franchise cricket, but he started to find his way in the 2013-14 season, having been mentored and coached by Grant Flower. An ODI debut against Bangladesh on Zimbabwe’s ill-fated tour in November 2014 followed, and Moor forced his way into the Test side two years later, cracking 71 against New Zealand in his very first innings.

He developed into one of the more consistent batters on the domestic circuit, and in February 2019 was named vice-captain of Zimbabwe. But then his career took a twist. Having plied his trade in English and Irish club cricket as a young player and holding an Irish passport (his paternal grandmother was Irish), he went on to qualify for Ireland in October 2022 and debuted for them in Test cricket in Dhaka in April 2023, aged 32. – zimsportlive/cricinfo

Share This:

Sponsored Links

Survey


We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds