The full-strength Ireland team may have picked itself for some time, but the next in line get an early chance this season to impress National Coach Phil Simmons when Ireland A face MCC at Lord’s today.

The 50-over game is threatened by the bad weather in London but with a two-week tour by Bangladesh, in the second half of July, expected to be announced by Cricket Ireland this week —squeezed between the visit by Afghanistan and South Africa A, Simmons will be keen to see the depth of his squad.

Nine of the 12 players involved today are uncapped, including skipper James Shannon, the Instonians top order batsman.

The team is top heavy with batsmen, underlining the strength in that department, with John Anderson, the Merrion captain, the most interesting selection. He was the highest run scorer in Leinster last season and this will be the South African’s first game in Ireland colours since qualifying for his adopted country.

Tom Fisher, the New Zealand-born Railway Union opening batsman, who captained Ireland A in this fixture last season, also gets another chance, along with Strabane’s Niall McDonnell who scored a century in the game at College Park in 2010.

Recent Ireland Under 19 internationals Lee Nelson, Stuart Thompson and Ben Ackland will also be keen to get among the runs while Shannon’s club-mate Ben Wylie and Barry McCarthy are members of this year’s U19 World Cup squad, so will be unavailable for promotion from July 25.

Wicket-keeper Rory McCann, although a unused member of the successful World Twenty20 squad last month, is the most experienced player in the team while Peter Connell and Graeme McCarter will be out to prove they are ready to resume their international careers.

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THE second day of the provincial Twenty20 tournament at North Down yesterday was ruined by rain with only one of the three matches getting started and even that reached only halfway.