Cricket Ireland has issued an official statement following days of unrest and violence in Belfast, as the governing body closely monitors the situation ahead of India's two-match T20I series scheduled for later this month in the city.
Violence Erupts in Belfast
The disturbances began after a knife attack earlier this week and have since spread to several areas of Northern Ireland. Reports indicate that houses and vehicles were set on fire, public transport services were disrupted, and dozens of people were forced to leave their homes as protests descended into violence.
With world champions India set to play Ireland on June 26 and 28 at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast, concerns have naturally emerged over the fate of the series.
Cricket Ireland Monitoring Situation
In a statement posted on social media, Cricket Ireland confirmed that it remains in close contact with authorities and will continue to assess the situation before making decisions regarding domestic fixtures.
"Cricket Ireland is continuing to monitor the situation in areas currently experiencing community unrest and will make a decision within the next 48 hours regarding this Sunday's Irish Senior Cup and National Cup fixtures," the board said. "We remain in close consultation with the relevant authorities and our provincial unions. The safety and security of players, coaches, match officials and supporters is paramount in our deliberations. Further updates will be provided as they become available," it added.
The board had earlier called off the Inter-Provincial T20 Festival in Lisburn, while a decision on this weekend's domestic cup matches is expected soon. However, Cricket Ireland's statement made no specific reference to the upcoming international fixtures against India.
High-Profile India Series in Focus
The Belfast leg is set to usher in a new era for India's T20 side, with Shreyas Iyer taking over as captain following the departure of T20 World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
The series could also witness a historic debut for 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The Rajasthan Royals star earned his maiden national call-up after a record-breaking IPL 2026 season in which he amassed 776 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 237.31. A senior international appearance would make Sooryavanshi the youngest men's cricketer to represent India, surpassing the mark set by Sachin Tendulkar.
For now, though, the spotlight remains on Belfast, where Cricket Ireland has stressed that the safety and security of everyone involved will remain the overriding priority as the countdown to the high-profile series continues.
India's Squad for Ireland T20Is
Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prasidh Krishna.
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