Cricket Ireland announce men's contracts for 2021

Josh Little, David Delany and Curtis Campher have all been offered central contracts for the first time

• The rise of Gareth Delany, Ireland's young opener leaving his mark on the T20 Blast
• The rapid rise of Curtis Campher, already at home in international cricket

Cricket Ireland have announced that 18 full-time central contracts and two retainer contracts have been offered for 2021.

Josh Little, David Delany and Curtis Campher have all been offered central contracts for the first time. Peter Chase regains his full-time contract.

Ireland's chairman of national men's selectors, Andrew White, said: “The selectors have been extremely pleased with the successful start to Curtis Campher’s Irish career, and the positive progress displayed by two exciting young talented pacemen in Josh Little and David Delany – it’s exciting for fans to see these three young players in the green, and it creates a sense of anticipation as to the potential impact they may have on the international stage.

“We have also been delighted by the hard work and commitment shown by Peter Chase in improving his game – when he lost his full-time contract last year, Peter went away and worked on his action and approach to his craft, and we hope that he will once again be showing his skills at the highest levels.

“With each passing year the questions posed to selectors by the contracts process mean tough decisions have to be made. It is pleasing to know that there are so many players who are vying to be on the list, and some can rightfully feel unfortunate not to be there today."

Boyd Rankin, Stuart Thompson and Tyrone Kane were not offered a contract for 2021. Shane Getkate and George Dockrell received retainer contracts.

"To those who have lost contracts – Boyd, Stuart and Tyrone –  the door is never fully closed and the selectors will be keeping a keen eye on their progress during the coming season,” White added.

Meanwhile, Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland's high performance director Richard Holdsworth said: “Fans will notice that we have offered 18 full-time contracts this year, one less than last time – we hope this will give us latitude to introduce more retainer contracts and effectively create a greater overall player pool spending invaluable contact time with the coaching staff. We have offered two retainer contracts so far, and hope to make further offers in due course.

“The limited performances in 2020 showed remarkable progress. Despite dealing with the obvious challenges, we can look back with great pride at wins over the West Indies in the Caribbean, England in England, and Afghanistan in subcontinent conditions. However, the result is only half the story – that many young players stepped up and began to perform on the highest stage was probably just as pleasing.”

Ireland players who were offered central contracts for 2021: Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Peter Chase, David Delany, Gareth Delany, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Kevin O'Brien, William Porterfield, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young

Ireland players who were offered retainer contracts for 2021: George Dockrell, Shane Getkate

For unrivalled coverage of the county season, subscribe to The Cricketer and receive 3 issues for £5

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.