CRICKET IRELAND HAVE today confirmed that they will host One Day Internationals against England and Australia in 2015.

With the Cricket World Cup taking place in February and March, the addition of two full Test nations to Ireland’s fixture list promised another year of growth in the sport’s popularity.

Having played in Malahide last year, England will return to the north Dublin venue on Friday May 8.

Australia will also tread on familiar turf, facing Ireland at the Stormont ground in Belfast on August 27 – just over two years after their last visit to the Belfast ground.

“There’s a real buzz around the squad with everyone really looking forward to next year, captain William Porterfield said with today’s announcement.

“The fact that we’ve these ODI’s too has given everyone a real boost –  I’m sure that there will be huge crowds at both games, and given the fact that it’s an Ashes year next summer, I’d expect a large number of travelling supporters too, giving the games an incredible atmosphere in both Dublin and Belfast.”

Ireland coach Phil Simmons said: “It’s a fantastic boost for Irish cricket to have these two high profile clashes. We’re always looking to test ourselves against top quality opposition, and they don’t come much bigger than England and Australia.

“Next year is shaping up to be the most exciting in Irish cricketing history. We’ve got the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, these high profile ODI’s and we’re also co-hosting the ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers along with Scotland. That’s a fantastic line-up of cricketing action, and I’m sure there will be a lot of support for these games,”

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