Andrew Balbirnie

Once he had completed a degree at Cardiff University, Balbirnie joined Middlesex. In the build-up to the 2015 Cricket World Cup he was among Ireland's leading scorers on their preparatory tour, and an innings of 129 from 96 deliveries against a New Zealand A attack featuring Kyle Mills, Doug Bracewell, Adam Milne and Matt Henry underlined his form. At the tournament itself he gathered 236 runs in 6 matches at a strike rate above 90, the third-highest tally for his side, including a determined 97 against Zimbabwe in Hobart. Ireland opened with victories over West Indies and UAE but won only one of their remaining four games and did not progress.

A hip problem aggravated at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India sidelined him for much of that season and was described as threatening his career. Middlesex then released him after five seasons in which he had appeared in two first-class matches, three List A games and seven T20s. Roughly a year on, he returned to the Ireland team with a rapid fifty that helped secure a series win over UAE, and in August 2017 he reached his first first-class hundred in the Intercontinental Cup. He was selected for Ireland's first Test, against Pakistan at Malahide in 2018, though he was dismissed for a pair.

By 2019 he was scoring consistently across formats, and when William Porterfield and Gary Wilson gave up the captaincy late that year, Balbirnie, who had previously led the side on occasion, took charge in all three formats. He struck a century as Ireland recorded their first ODI victory over South Africa in 2021, and at the 2022 T20 World Cup he captained the team to a win over England, contributing 62 from 47 balls.