Ireland skipper Balbirnie joins Glamorgan for Vitality Blast

International captain Andrew Balbirnie is the latest Irish player to join up with a side for the upcoming Vitality Blast T20 competition after he received a no objection certificate from Cricket Ireland to play with Glamorgan.

The 29-year-old Balbirnie, who studied in Cardiff, will join the Welsh side after leading Ireland to a famous win over England in the third of the recent one-day international series, where he made 113 in the seven-wicket win in Southampton.

“I’m very pleased to see the deal go ahead – it’s a fabulous competition, and having spent a few years in Cardiff during my university days, it’s a city I know pretty well,” said Balbirnie. “ I’m just looking forward to heading across and getting going with Glamorgan.

“It’s a tournament I’ve watched a lot and have many friends who have played in it over the years, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play with new people and learn from different coaches, as well as to play in a different tournament in different conditions.

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“It’s not been a great season for playing much cricket, so to be able to go over and play a short, sharp tournament of intense cricket will be enjoyable and a good way to end the summer.”

Glamorgan director of cricket, Mark Wallace, said: "With injury to David Lloyd and Colin Ingram's arrival looking unlikely due to travel restrictions, we wanted to add depth to our batting."

“Andrew is a fantastic player with a strong record in the one-day formats and was in great form during the recent series against England.”

“He is also very used to playing in our conditions and will add a lot of experience and class at the top of the order.”