GAVIN HOEY will be back at the Sheikh Zayed stadium this evening hoping to build on the impressive debut he made for Ireland in Wednesday’s opening one-day international against South Africa.

Although the Boys in Green were soundly beaten by 139 runs in the first of three ODIs, the leg-spin of 22-year-old Hoey shone out on debut, despite his less than flattering figures of 0-65 from 10 overs.

Watching on approvingly, if a little nervously, was father Conor, a long-time practitioner of wrist spin — 42 times for Ireland, and for decades in domestic cricket for Dublin University.

“As a parent, cricket is a tough sport to follow,” Hoey, who had flown in to Abu Dhabi that morning, said. “Better to be following a bowler than a batsman, though, because they only get the one chance.

“I was worried that there would be a few long hops and full tosses but he didn’t bowl any bad balls, in particular.

“He was a little bit unlucky not to have Rickelton caught on the boundary but he came back well after they went after him in those early overs.

“I wasn’t sure he was going to get his hands on the ball again after that start but fair play to Stirlo [captain Paul Stirling] for believing in him.”

Those who have not followed Gavin’s progress through the Ireland age groups may assume that he was always following in the family footsteps but the young man started off as a medium pacer and only recently turned to the dark arts after a incurring a stress fracture.

"One of the very few good things to come out of the Covid lockdown is that we were able to go down to the local school, stick six stumps in the ground and bowled leg-spin - I showed him a few of my variations,” Hoey senior said.

“Gav’s got bigger hands and longer fingers than me, and he can bowl a googly, which I never could.

“He’s also benefitted from going on the Wolves tour to Nepal, and Emerging XI in the West Indies, and I think that certainly gave him confidence before making his debut.”

While his dad flies back to Dublin after today’s second ODI, the son will head south to Sydney at the end of the series to spend a stint playing for the University of NSW, before hopefully rejoining the Ireland squad in Zimbabwe in the new year.

Which, coincidentally, is where Hoey senior made his international debut back in 1991, when the amateur Ireland team were asked to contribute £500 each towards the cost of the trip.

“I’d have loved to have been involved in the professional set-up they have now,” he said.