IRELAND paid the price for a series of missed chances in Belfast as Afghanistan powered to a 27-run victory in a match reduced to 11 overs a side, and squared the T20 series at 2-2 going into tomorrow’s final game.

Kevin O'Brien has confirmed his retirement from international cricket.

Andy McBrine has lost his place in the Ireland T20 squad for the final two games of series against Afghanistan which continues this afternoon at Stormont.

Ireland will continue to focus on the process when they resume their five-match series against Afghanistan at Stormont on Monday, after failing to complete a hat-trick of wins in the third match of their latest T20 series.

FIONN HAND made a spectacular international debut in Belfast last night smashing 36 from 18 balls before Ireland fell 22 runs short of a third victory in four days against Afghanistan in their five-match T20 series.

George Dockrell’s golden summer continued with a first T20 international half-century but it wasn’t enough to prevent Ireland falling to defeat in the third game of the five-match series against Afghanistan at Stormont.

As expected, the Ireland Development side completed a 251-run win against Gloucestershire Seconds on the final day of their red-ball match in Bristol.

Centuries from David Delany and Graham Kennedy have put the Ireland Development XI in a strong position going into the final day of their friendly against Gloucestershire Seconds.

Four wickets for Graham Hume and a half century by Alistair Frost have put Ireland's Development XI in a strong position at the close of the second of four scheduled days against Gloucestershire II.

It was a hard fought, exciting series between Ireland Wolves and Namibia, with little separating two evenly matched sides.

Gareth Delany and Ireland Wolves finished their tour of Namibia on a high with a 22 runs series-levelling victory in Windhoek yesterday.

Gareth Delany showed again yesterday why he is a current member of Ireland’s one-day international side with a second successive 50 for Ireland Wolves in Namibia.

Ireland U17s beat Scotland by 109 runs in their Celtic Cup openers, while Ireland U13s edged out Middlesex by 9 runs at Oak Hill in the first game of their tri-series which includes Ireland U19 girls.

Ireland Under 17s Boys will face their Scotland counterparts in two 50-over games and two T20 games for the Celtic Cup, which has not taken place since 2019.

Ireland U15s ended their tour on a winning note by chasing 275 to beat Kent Western Rhinos by three wickets.

Ireland U17s will try and win the Celtic Cup series in the NCU next week, after the U15s were beaten 3-1 by Scotland last week.

Half centuries from Brian Dunphy and Robert O’Brien ensured Ireland U15’s made it two wins from two at the Durham Festival as they beat Cleveland by 7 wickets.

David Agnew scored a century as the NCU beat Leinster in their Under 11 match at Shaw’s Bridge to take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

NCU B claimed the Under 13 Festival title with a 54-run win against Munster at Foyle College. The victory was set up by a third wicket partnership of 107 in 10 overs between Myles McNaught, and Luke Crothers (27).

Skipper Ollie Riley took eight wickets for one run including a hat-trick as Leinster beat NCU in the U17 interpro. It was much closer in the U17 game, with Leinster winning by two wickets. In the NW Under Festival there were victories for the B sides of Leinster and NCU over Munster and the North West.

Leinster took a two-nil series against the NCU as they won by 78 runs in the Under 13 interprovincial at Pirrie Park.

It was a tough day for the NCU who lost to a very strong Leinster in the first of their four-match series this week in the game at RingCommons.

CIYMS have reached their fourth cup final of the year, after hammering Newbuildings in yesterday’s All-Ireland T20 Semi-final at Belmont.

Lisburn, the team who would not even have been in the Northern Cricket Union’s top league if there had been relegation last year, are the 2022 Premier League Champions.

Lisburn were crowned Premier champions for the first time since 1996 after a professional 123-run demolition of North Down at Comber.

James West produced a Man-of-the-Match display, while his father Regan top-scored as CSNI beat Lisburn to win the Junior Cup.

Premier champions Bready ensured they completed their league campaign unbeaten as they beat Eglinton by 9 wickets at home in a match reduced to ten overs per side.

Brigade ended what has been a disappointing season by their high standards on a winning note as they edged out Donemana by one run in a last ball thriller at Beechgrove.

Ian Young and Gregory McFaul were the stars of the show as Bready convincingly beat Burndennett by 85 runs in the final of the Eric Cooke Cup at St Johnston.

There could be a new name on the NW Premiership trophy this season after Bready could only scramble over the line in their final game with a last ball and one wicket win over Eglinton.

Railway Union beat Leinster in the promotion race, while North County, North Kildare and Cork County also win.

Balbriggan hold their nerve to edge out Pembroke, while The Hills are closing fast after Merrion beaten. Wins too for Malahide thanks to a record stand, and Phoenix win crucial basement battle over Clontarf.

There were wins in the Premiership for Clontarf, The Hills, YMCA and Malahide.

Railway Union, Leinster, Terenure and Cork County win in the Championship.

Munster Heat clinched the second edition of the Future Series in dramatic fashion as they edged out the Emerging Warriors by 6 runs at The Maws.

The Emerging Warriors have named a youthful squad for their final match of the season away to Munster Heat at North Kildare.

GEORGE DOCKRELL ended a triumphant three days at Sydney Parade by lifting the InterPro T20 Trophy last night as his Leinster Lightning side pipped Munster Reds on run-rate to regain the title.

North West Warriors tamely surrendered their T20 inter-provincial crown with a third straight defeat as Leinster Lightning stormed through the field to complete a hat-trick of wins.

CIYMS and Cork Harlequins will meet in the final of the All-Ireland T20 Cup after beating Newbuildings and Cork Harlequins.

CSNI will meet Merrion in the final of the All-Ireland T20 Women’s competition after the Stormont side ran out eight wicket winners against Fox Lodge at Ballymagorry.

CIYMS begin their latest quest to represent Ireland in the European Cricket League on Sunday when they face Newbuildings in the semi-final of the All-Ireland T20 Cup.

The semi-finals of the All-Ireland T20 Cup and the preliminary final of the women’s All-Ireland T20 Cup have been drawn, with matches to take place on Sunday August 14th.

Scotland will host Ireland Women in a three-match series in early September.

The ICC released its first multi-year Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the women’s game which will see Ireland Women play series against eight of the world’s top ten sides between 2022 and 2025.

It was a history-making day in the Super Series as Robyn Searle broke numerous records to help the Typhoons beat the Dragons and finish second in the table behind the champions Scorchers.

Captain Gaby Lewis made a run-a-ball 103 to lead her Scorchers side to back-to-back doubles in the Super Series 50 overs clash at Sydney Parade.

An incredible collapse by Dragons handed Typhoons their first win the Super 50 Cup yesterday at Seapark, Holywood.

An amazing collapse saw the Dragons lose seven wickets for just 11 runs to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in their Super Series clash at Holywood against the Typhoons.

Ireland and The Netherlands Women will play a three-match ODI series next month in Holland.

Leinster clinched the inaugural Women’s Future series on NRR as they beat their Under 17 side by five wickets at The Boathole.

The heavy rain in the North West ended any hope of Ireland playing their final match of the Tri-Series against Pakistan at Bready, the game called off an hour before the scheduled 4pm start.

Ireland captain Laura Delany insisted that there were positives to take from the 63-run defeat by world champions Australia in their penultimate game of the Women’s Tri-Series at Bready.

Irish sport’s most capped international team sportsperson, Kevin O’Brien, has announced his retirement from international cricket.

Cork Harlequins are the Munster Senior Cup champions after an eight-wicket win over County Galway at The Mardyke.

Ireland has announced a 12-player squad for Ireland Academy’s three-day match against England Under-19s to be played in Loughborough from 16-18 August.

Munster bragging rights went to Cork Harlequins after they beat County in the top of the table clash.