Andrew Balbirnie, the captain of the Irish cricket team, believes that defeating England in a Test match would be their greatest accomplishment in the sport. As underdogs, Ireland is preparing to face Ben Stokes’ men at Lord’s this week.

Ireland has built its reputation on their performances in white-ball internationals. They have achieved notable victories in the 50-over World Cups, defeating Pakistan in 2007, England in 2011, and the West Indies in 2015. They also triumphed over eventual champions England in the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, in their short Test history, Ireland has played only six matches and is still in search of their first victory in the longest format.

Four years ago, during their previous Test at Lord’s, Ireland dismissed England for just 85 runs but suffered a 143-run defeat when they collapsed to 38 all out in the fourth innings of the match.

“It didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but it gave us a glimpse of what would happen if we were to win a Test match,” said Balbirnie on the eve of the four-day Test.

“If we were to beat England, it would easily be the greatest achievement in Irish cricket.”

Nevertheless, Ireland faces an uphill battle, considering England’s strong record with 10 wins in their last 12 Tests since skipper Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum joined forces last year.

“We are aware that this England team is in great form leading up to the Ashes,” stated Balbirnie.

Ireland will be without the services of Josh Little at Lord’s. The young fast bowler, who performed exceptionally well for the Gujarat Titans in the recent Indian Premier League final, has been rested for the upcoming 50-over World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe. Little had also missed Tests against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka due to his IPL commitments.

Richard Holdsworth, Ireland’s high-performance director, defended Little’s absence, explaining that a Test at Lord’s, while significant for most players, is not the “pinnacle event” for their side this year.

“Of course, we would have loved to have him here, but I completely understand that he needs rest and preparation for our World Cup qualifier,” said Balbirnie.

“Josh played in an IPL final in his first IPL appearance, so I’m not naïve. He will attract attention from other leagues, and we might face this situation again, but he still has a strong desire to play for Ireland. I have spoken to him, and he still loves representing this team.”