THERE’S no faulting Ireland’s preparation or efforts, but they just don’t seem to click at Twenty20 World Cups. Only twice in nine tournaments have they reached the second phase, and since 2016 they have lost to associate sides Netherlands, Oman, Namibia and Canada.
Although he’s only 26, Harry Tector has been to three T20 World Cups already. It’s not hard for him to pick out the one he remembers best.
‘Definitely my favourite was the one in Australia in 2022, because we did well, got through to the next stage and had that brilliant win over England at the MCG.
‘The 2021 one in Dubai was very, very disappointing, the games were unnatural because of Covid and losing to Namibia was gutting. And then America two years ago was very disappointing from a number of aspects. The pitches were not good and we didn’t play well, especially against Canada.’
The Pembroke batsman had a very good 2025 in the shortest format, scoring excellent unbeaten scores over 60 against Bangladesh and England, and recording his best annual average (48) and strike rate (141) since he made his debut in 2019.
Twenty20 World Cups haven’t been happy affairs for him however, and innings of 3, 8, 1, 14, 45, 0, 6, 2, 4, 7 and 5 are nothing to write home about,
Is it fair to say we haven’t seen the best of Harry Tector in the previous competitions?
‘Yeah, that is fair. I try and view my year from January to December, so I try not to single out series or tournaments.
‘This time things are coming together well. I’m thinking things clearly, hitting the ball, looking forward to getting out and playing the warm-ups against Italy and UAE. I’m hoping this World Cup will see some big performances.’
To that end, the Ireland squad have been in a training camp in Dubai.
‘The preparations have been great so far,’ says Tector. ‘Usually when we go to UAE it is to prepare for Tests and they can be quite gruelling. But this is completely different in format and duration. It’s not nearly as intense as the Test camps.’
Tector didn’t follow the recent saga of the Bangladeshis request to switch groups, which could have played havoc with Ireland’s planning for the tournament, but never believed it would happen: ‘I didn’t see it as being something that was possible to change at this late stage,’ he says.
Tector has been almost ever-present in all formats since he made his debut in 2019. He is currently 7th in the ICC world ODI rankings – having been as high as 4th two years ago – but a lowly 69th in 20-overs, albeit the second-best Irishman after Paul Stirling.
Which does he prefer?
‘That’s a good question, Test cricket is so demanding it makes it very rewarding to play well in it. It tests every facet of your game. It’s the most challenging.’
‘I love ODIs, it’s a brilliant format. It’s not as simple as T20, you have to balance attack, defence and timing. T20 is just exciting, everything happens so quickly. It’s like when you’re a kid, when you just want to whack the ball.’
He got to whack the ball with his kid brother Tim during the series in Bangladesh in December. How does he find playing alongside the 22-year old sibling?
‘It’s great,’ he grins. ‘It’s funny because I’ve come up through the ranks playing with Jack, being his younger brother and following him into the Leinster Lightning and Ireland Wolves.
‘It’s a little bit weird at times with Tim but you always look out for him, check he’s settling in OK without being too over the top about it.
‘He played really well in Bangladesh when he had to do that to force his way into the squad. The way he did it was great.
‘It’s funny, I got a load of texts in Bangladesh asking me what it was like batting with Tim.
‘International cricket is hard enough before you think about the sentimental side of it. But yeah, its great to be out there with your brother, it was a very proud moment, and I think it made everyone back home very proud too. It was very cool.’
The Ireland Under 19s are playing their own World Cup at the moment. It’s a special tournament in the Tector household, with three Ireland captains in succession at the event: Jack (2016), Harry (2018) and Tim (2022).
‘I watched their first two games, it’s great to see them doing so well. I saw a little of Robert O’Brien batting last summer and could see he’s a very big talent. I knew Olly Riley, Reuben Wilson and Luke Murray from playing club with them, they’ve done really well.’
Does he expect any of the squad to join him on the Ireland team in due course?
‘It’s an enormous jump to international cricket but I think the ones with the best chance are the ones who can recognise where their weaknesses are and deal with them quickly.
‘It’s always been one of my strengths, analysing my weaknesses and rectifying it, which is only done by working harder.’
The name Tector has been getting a bit of airing lately, with second cousin Charlie scoring two tries for Leinster at New Year. They’re a sporty family – Harry’s grandfathers played rugby for Ireland (Bill Tector) and won an All-Ireland with Wexford (Tom Dixon). Harry’s older brother Jack captained Ireland A and sister Alice has won five cricket caps. Another cousin, Craig Ronaldson, played rugby for Connacht.
‘I don’t know Charlie that well’, Harry admits. ‘We’ve swapped a few texts when we’ve done something special. It’s been great to see him do so well in such a competitive environment. His brother Robert has done well too in the horse racing scene.
‘They’re the Tectors who stayed close to their Wexford roots while we emigrated to Dublin!’
Harry will be looking to make a few headlines of his own this month, starting today against Italy in Dubai.
Dubai friendlies:
v Italy Tuesday; v UAE Friday and Sunday. World Cup warm up: v Zimbabwe Feb 5.
World Cup dates:
8 February: v Sri Lanka (Colombo; 7pm)
11 February: v Australia (Colombo; 3pm)
14 February: v Oman (Colombo; 11am)
17 February: v Zimbabwe (Kandy; 3pm)
Super Eights: 21 February – 1 March 2026; Semi-finals: 4-5 March; Final: 8 March.
Squad:
Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz (all Lisburn), Curtis Campher (Clontarf), Gareth Delany (Leinster), George Dockrell (Phoenix), Matthew Humphreys (Dublin University & Instonians), Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker (all Pembroke), Ben White (Phoenix), Craig Young (North Down).
