The members of the national team begin what amounts to a week-long whistle-stop tour of the North today. They take on MCC in a two-day match in Lurgan.
Bangladesh will provide the opposition thereafter, and the countries will meet in two one-day limited-overs matches at Waringstown on Friday and at Beechgrove in Derry on Sunday.
The tour ends with the two-day encounter with the Bangladeshis at Eglinton on Monday and Tuesday of next week.
Mike Hendrick's men will face Bangladesh in three further games, in Dublin and Cork, but more about those challenges in due course. For today's game, as has tended to be the norm these past several seasons, southern representation is rather thin on the ground, and in this instance only three Leinster players - Ted Williamson, John Davy and Paul Mooney - have been included.
Northern representation is dominant. With Angus Dunlop not available, wicket-keeper Alan Rutherford will captain the side. Dunlop, Paul McCrum, Ed Joyce and Matt Dwyer will be included in the squad for the matches against Bangladesh on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, so a marginally better balance may be achieved.
Michael Rea, now domiciled in England, played many fine innings for Ireland. Rutherford and company must be hoping that the former Dublin University and Clontarf opener won't continue where he left off at representative level: Rea will be playing for the MCC in this annual two-day event.
Dunlop is likely to be missed, and Hendrick will be looking for good batting performances from Kyle McCallan, Stephen Smyth, Williamson, Rutherford and Peter Gillespie.
The bowling of Gordon Cooke, Ryan Eagleson, John Davy and Derek Heasley will be vital.
Bangladesh will take a 20-man squad on the tour. No doubt, many of these players will become household names in time. At the moment, however, the coach Gordon Greenidge is the only one who falls into that category.
Ireland (v MCC and 1st match v Bangladesh): A Rutherford (Woodvale) capt., K McCallan (Cliftonville), T Williamson (Pembroke), S Smyth (Brigade), P Gillespie (Strabane), D Heasley (Carrickfergus), G Cooke (Limavady), R Eagleson (Carrickfergus), N Anderson (Lurgan), J Davy (Pembroke), P Mooney (The Hills). 12th Man v MCC: G Hunter (Lurgan); 12th Man v Bangladesh: N Carson (Waringstown).
