Ed Joyce may have received his first call-up to the England one-day squad but it has had a major impact on the Ireland team preparing for next week's games against Sussex in the C & G Trophy on Sunday and the one day international at Stormont two days later.

With Joyce's Middlesex team-mate Jamie Dalrymple also included in England's 15-man squad for the Belfast clash and the NatWest one-day series against Sri Lanka immediately afterwards, the county have claimed Eoin Morgan for their C & G Trophy game against Surrey at the weekend and he will make his county championship debut in the four-day game against Nottinghamshire, starting on Tuesday.

William Porterfield was last night called into the Ireland side as Morgan's replacement for the next two games but with Niall O'Brien also required by Kent, Adrian Birrell was left an unusually angry National Coach.

''We are playing our first one day international next week without our three best players (Joyce, O'Brien and Morgan). The only good that has come out of it is that it has proven Ireland can produce a born and bred player capable of playing for England. Anyone can now aspire to those heights.
''The downside, of course, is that counties forget that Ireland was responsible for their upbringing and cricket development,'' said Birrell last night.

''I have no problem with Middlesex (and their claim to Morgan next week). They have allowed us to use him in the Under-19 World Cup and in four-day cricket last year and this. We have always known where we stand with Middlesex and he has been available for all Ireland's C & G games this season apart from the game against his county.

''But what reward has Kent ever given us. Niall O'Brien has been on tours at Under 15 level, Under 19 level, the Under-19 World Cup. He has done all the hard yardage but once the county took him on we have only seen him out of season. He missed the ICC Trophy and now Ireland cannot even get him for a one-day international. You have to ask yourself: 'What's in it for Ireland?'
Birrell added that the ICC are still 'working on'' the counties to try and get Morgan and O'Brien released but the coach has resigned himself to being without both players for Ireland's debut one-day international.

With England having first call on all county players, it is a case of Ireland getting what is left and while Ireland may be pleased for Ed Joyce, it was the surprise selection of Jamie Dalrymple that has left Middlesex two players down and Morgan, as the next in the list of Middlesex reserves, has received his county call.

With Geraint Jones also keeping his place in the England squad then Kent, as has always been their consistent policy, were never going to release their reserve wicket-keeper and O'Brien must continue his county career at the expense of his first official one-day international.

With Andrew Flintoff, Michael Vaughan, Simon Jones, Ashley Giles, James Anderson and Ian Blackwell all ruled out of consideration by injury, England's 15-man squad features six new caps to be captained by Joyce and Dalrymple's Middlesex team-mate Andrew Strauss.
The other newcomers are Warwickshire off spinner Alex Loudon, Yorkshire's 21 year old seamer Tim Bresnan, Lancashire's pace-bowling all-rounder Glen Chapple and Test batsman Alastair Cook.

Although 32 years of age, Chapple has been rewarded for being part of a successful Lancashire team while Bresnan undoubtedly owes his call-up to the proximity of Vaughan - playing for Yorkshire while he makes his way back from a knee operation.
Chairman of selectors David Graveney said that the presence of Bresnan, Dalrymple and Louden - all included because of the ''serious derth in our bowling resources'' - all offer more than their bowling and on Joyce's inclusion he said: ''Ed opened the batting on England A's tour in the West Indies and did well." This is the natural progression.

Encouragingly for Joyce, Graveney also confirmed that if the World Cup finals were taking place next week, this would be England's 15-man squad, because they were the best players available. Now it's up to the 27 year old Dubliner to go all the way.
Surgery will be considered only as a 'last resort' for Flintoff who is to be rested for the next month while fast bowler Simon Jones is ''extremely unlikely'' to figure even in next winter's Ashes.

ENGLAND SQUAD: A Strauss (Middlesex, captain), I Bell (Warwickshire), T Bresnan (Yorkshire), G Chapple (Lancashire), P Collingwood (Durham), A Cook (Essex), J Dalrymple (Middlesex), S Harmison (Durham), G Jones (Kent), E Joyce (Middlesex), A Loudon (Warwickshire), S Mahmood (Lancashire), K Pietersen (Hampshire), L Plunkett (Durham), M Trescothick (Somerset).