Murray Commins has been called into the Ireland ODI squad to replace Andrew Balbirnie, who retired hurt during their loss in Wednesday's match in Harare.

The Irish skipper was unbeaten on 121 when he deflected a high full toss onto his helmet, knocking him to the ground.

"Andrew Balbirnie sustained a suspected mild concussive episode after being struck on the helmet while batting in yesterday's match against Zimbabwe," said Mark Rausa.

"He retired hurt and did not take the field in the second innings in line with concussion protocols. He was reassessed this morning, but the decision has been made to withdraw him from the remaining two matches of this series as a precaution." 

The Hills' left-hander Murray Commins will jet in from his native South Africa, where the 26 year-old is playing club cricket.

He qualified last January through residency, having arrived in Ireland in 2019.

Commins has scored 395 runs for Munster Reds in the Inter-Provincial Cup over the last two seasons at an average of 39.50 including a century and three fifties.

On Zimbabwe’s tour to Ireland in 2021, Commins featured in the Ireland Wolves team that played the tourists, scoring 60 off 88 balls.

“It’s extremely disappointing to lose our skipper in this manner, particularly after his outstanding century in his 200th match for Ireland. We all hope his recovery is quick and he is back on the park soon," said Andrew White.

“Murray is a talented top-order batter that we see as a direct replacement – we know he has the stroke play, technique and mindset to build big scores and being left-handed, he will also add a new dimension to the top order. Given the volume of cricket coming up, this is also an opportunity to give Murray exposure to the international arena."