THE INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL has confirmed that Irish cricketer Ed Joyce is to be given special dispensation allowing him to ditch the England team and return to playing for Ireland at next February’s Cricket World Cup.

Joyce (32) had originally played for the Ireland international side in One-Day Internationals, and was considered one of his country’s best ever cricketers, but had accepted to a call-up to the England side in 2005 having qualified for the country by virtue of his residency there.

A call-up by the England side would be almost impossible to resist for an Irish cricketer, with Ireland not currently one of the world’s top ten ranked nations, and being therefore unable to take part in Test matches – the top level of international cricket.

Although he was included in England’s Ashes squad for the 2006-07 series, and in the 2007 World Cup, Joyce’s England career has since floundered – he last played for the team in a Twenty20 match against Australia in 2007 – and last month CricketIreland had named him in the provisional squad for the tournament, hoping that world cricket’s governing body would allow him to return to duty with his native country.

Today that permission was given – though there was no such dispensation given to Hamish Marshall, a New Zealand international who holds an Irish passport, meaning he will not be allowed to play for his adopted country until the beginning  of April.

“Playing for Ireland again is something I’ve given a lot of thought to over the last few years,” said Joyce, “and to be given the opportunity to do so, a little earlier than expected and on the biggest stage, is absolutely fantastic.”

Joyce is a member of one of the Irish game’s leading families; his brothers Gus and Dominick have also represented Ireland, while twin sisters Isobel and Cecilia are regular features of the ladies’ team.