Malahide intel - what we learned about CI's fixture future

The inside track on how Ireland's fixture list might look heading into 2026

A view of Malahide during Ireland’s recent T20 series against England.

Now that the silly business of actually playing has been and gone, Irish cricket can return to its favourite pastime: moaning about not playing cricket.

The build-up to the recent England series in Malahide was dominated by talk of Ireland’s nigh on non-existent international summer. Paul Stirling said he wasn’t confident in victory prospects, due to lack of preparation. Harry Tector said it was the worst year of his career, playing wise.

With a greater press presence thanks to England’s pack being in town, CI responded on the front foot. Publicly, promises have been made. Next year will be different. The women should qualify for a T20 World Cup in England while the men will host Test cricket.

Whatever about covering these games in person and being in situ to report the public proclamations, the real benefit from travelling to Malahide is the brief window into CI’s corridors of power. Face-to-face time with people in the know is invaluable. It’s easier to get a read on their thinking, on how their actions might back up the strong words promising better days ahead.

After a week spent chewing ears, here is what I learned about how Ireland’s fixture list over the next 12 months might take shape.

• First things first, the only Ireland winter commitment on the Future Tours Programme which hasn’t featured in the news yet is a tour of Sri Lanka. This was supposed to be before the Bangladesh trip but after Pakistan. The Bangla tour has been confirmed as two Tests and three T20Is, while the Pakistan games have been pushed back. Given all the public chatter from CI has focused on preparation camps for Bangladesh, with no mention of the fact that Sri Lanka is supposed to come before then, it’s not looking likely that both tours will take place. A Sri Lankan Cricket source said no official word was yet forthcoming.

• As was revealed by this publication last weekend, the one certainty at this stage for Ireland’s 2026 home schedule is that a Test against New Zealand will take place at Stormont in May. When speaking to the press after Friday’s washout in Malahide, Cricket Ireland chair Brian MacNeice guaranteed that Test cricket will be played on Irish soil next year. He was then asked if both Test matches listed on the FTP for summer 2026, against NZ and Afghanistan respectively, would come to fruition. His response was non-committal, saying there were still moving parts at play. For reasons which will soon become clear, while guaranteeing some red ball cricket but not all of the FTP commitments, MacNeice was referring to the Blackcaps in Stormont.

• Sticking with the start of the summer, Ireland women will receive further good news should they qualify for June’s T20 World Cup in England. The qualification bonus for that competition will help pay for a home tri-series prior to travelling over the Irish Sea. Pakistan and the West Indies would be the opponents. It remains to be seen if Ireland still play that tri-series should they fail to qualify, though Gaby Lewis’ side are strong favourites to emerge from January’s global qualifier in Nepal. After that June World Cup, West Indies are due to come to Ireland for three ODIs. This visit is part of the ICC Women’s Championship so it is all but guaranteed to go ahead. Ireland then fly to England for three 50-over games in September, a series which has already been confirmed by the hosts. This tour was supposed to also include three T20s but, with the short form World Cup finished by that stage, that format is relatively superfluous. Still, it’s always worth highlighting when scheduling commitments don’t come through.

• After New Zealand, the rest of the men’s summer is still up in the air. It’s a bit of a song and dance explaining it all, so bear with. In a soon-to-be-released interview on The Irish Cricket Podcast, MacNeice revealed that CI are relying on two financial windfalls to come through to fund a summer fixture list which fulfils all their FTP commitments. Once the Blackcaps leave town, Ireland are due to host Bangladesh for six white ball games and Afghanistan for an all-format tour. As explained by ex-CEO Warren Deutrom to the BBC, CI are also in talks with India about tagging on some games as part of their white ball trip to England. This publication can reveal that CI are hoping that the BCCI will agree to as many as five limited overs matches. The European T20 Premier League is also still a possibility (remove cynicism for the purposes of this explanation). These are the two sought after windfalls but an India tour is the more lucrative option. One senior figure estimated that a series with India is worth as much as €2.5 million to CI. It remains to be seen how much, if anything should the league fail to materialise once again, the ETPL will draw in. According to Ger Siggins in the Daily Mail, CI budgeted for a €700,000 franchise windfall in 2025, income which never arrived. The powers that be hope to have more clarity by the end of the year when signing off on the 2026 budget - which includes fixture expenditure. At this stage, senior figures suggest a decision on India is likely by then, whereas securing ETPL investment is expected to extend into the new year.

• What does that all mean? The best case scenario for CI is that both possibilities take place: India tour and the ETPL goes ahead, with investment secured and CI taking their 20% (that’s the portion of the league they own). If all that revenue comes in, Ireland will actually have too much cricket scheduled. New Zealand will play a Test in May. June will see India tour prior to their England trip. July should bring Bangladesh. Late August and September is the ETPL window. The interpros (in whatever revamped shape they will take - more on that later) need to fit in somewhere, leaving little room for the Afghanistan tour. If all this happens, Afghanistan are likely to be hosted in the UAE in October, rather than Ireland in the summer.

• The worst case scenario is that India don’t come and the ETPL doesn’t materialise once again. Where does that leave CI in terms of how much cricket they can afford? That remains to be seen. After Afghanistan were cancelled on this year, CI is reluctant to do so again given the perception will arise that they do not want to play them for political reasons. Following the Taliban takeover of the country and the plight of the role of women in society - let alone their cricket team - Australia refuses to play Afghanistan in bilateral cricket while England will not host them. Neither the ICC nor the Irish government has issued advice stating that Afghanistan should not be played due to the political situation, meaning CI will play if they can afford to.

• For this reason, if I were a betting man, I would suggest that, should CI not be able to afford its full FTP commitments in 2026, Bangladesh is the series most at risk. Those games might be politically easier (within cricket, not Taliban related) to cancel. It also seems unlikely that a second Test of the summer can be afforded in this scenario, meaning Afghanistan could well be a white-ball tour.

• If India do come but the ETPL doesn’t happen, it remains unclear if that windfall is enough to preserve both the Bangladesh and Afghanistan commitments. Should this come to pass, with no ETPL in August/September, that appears the most likely window to host Afghanistan should the money be found. On the balance of probabilities, I would speculate that a second home Test against Afghanistan might be financially tricky without revenue from both India and the ETPL.

• The final scenario is that India don’t tour but the ETPL does take place. That revenue almost certainly will not pay for both the Bangladesh and Afghanistan trips. Then we are back to the conversation of which series is easier to cut, both politically and financially. The scenario in the above bullet point - India yes, ETPL no - is more likely to preserve a full home summer per the FTP than the alternative - India no, ETPL yes.

• We mentioned the interpros above, this competition will almost certainly be revamped in 2026. One senior figure labelled the current structure as “broken.” What any new model looks like, as with much of the 2026 fixtures list, remains to be seen. CI still has aspirations of bringing in Dutch and Scottish teams into the competition, as per their most recent strategy document. However, doing this with the current four-team provincial structure won’t happen any time soon. They won’t simply pour further investment into a model which doesn’t work. Ireland’s own coaching staff rate the standard of the Emerald Challenge, a two-team ‘best vs best’ model, much more highly than the interpros. Coaches want more Emerald games, rather than interpros, and it sounds like they could get them. If First Class cricket returns to the Irish domestic scene, it will certainly be in a model closer to the Emerald Challenge, rather than provincial games. Conversations will also be had about adding a Scottish team to the best vs best structure, though how this will be paid for given the financial situation in both countries remains to be seen. Opportunities will also be opened up to the Dutch. This might not be worth the investment, though, as most of their best players play in county cricket. They may not be able to provide a team of the required standard to justify the cost. All told, the interpros will still take place, but how they slot in with a hoped-for increase in the Emerald schedule will be interesting.

• Next year is a big one for CI’s broadcast income, with their current rights agreement ending at the end of 2026. In the last cycle, CI sold all their home rights to Pitch International, a third party which then sells off individual series for parts. They make a profit off England and India’s visits alone, given their value. CI gets guaranteed income by bundling everything together. Given Ireland struggles to play sufficient cricket even with increased ICC funding from 2024 onwards, it’s clear that other revenue streams need to increase. The biggest area for growth is broadcast. At present, CI pays the production costs for home matches. Given they have already sold their rights well in advance, it’s difficult to see how they generate money back from selling individual broadcast feeds to the likes of TNT Sports. CI have made clear that model needs to change. That said, will broadcasters suddenly be interested enough in Irish cricket to both pay for the rights and fund their own production? It seems unlikely.

• It does appear that broadcast of games will increase in at least one capacity; radio. BBC Ulster did the England games on behalf of Test Match Special. They were so happy with the numbers that listened that they are strongly considering broadcasting more Ireland home games next summer. When the BBC don’t step in, myself and Ally McCalmont at The Irish Cricket Podcast are looking to expand on our own live radio coverage having commentated on the recent Emerald Challenge.

• CI remains hopeful of convincing Virgin Media to broadcast live cricket. They last showed a pair of women’s T20s in 2024. It’s difficult to see how advanced those conversations are given the home schedule isn’t set yet for next year. At present, CI is lobbying them to show highlights of the NZ Test. It won’t generate much revenue, but the increased exposure does make CI’s sponsorship deals more valuable. If the ETPL happens, CI are hopeful that TNT Sports will step in given their increasing appetite for cricket.

TLDR: If India and the ETPL happen next year, Ireland’s summer will extend into October with too much cricket scheduled to be played. If one or both of those events don’t take place, more tricky scheduling work remains to be done, with news of FTP fixture cuts likely.