Ross Adair says it would “mean the world to me” if he makes his debut for Ireland on their tour of Zimbabwe next month.

The big-hitting CIYMS opener received his first senior call-up yesterday for the three T20 internationals in Harare as a replacement for Lorcan Tucker who has been given permission to join Paul Stirling in the Abu Dhabi International T20 League.

If Adair makes his debut he would join his brother Mark in the team and become the first set of brothers in the same Ireland team since Niall and Kevin O’Brien played together in the ODI Series against Afghanistan in August 2018.

“I have always wanted to push myself and get to as high a level as possible,” said Adair. “I love my cricket and to have the opportunity to represent Ireland at the level with Mark would mean the world to me."

The call-up is reward for Adair’s form in the inter-provincial T20 Trophy where he is one of only four players to have scored a century in the tournament’s 10-year history, indeed his innings of 111 for Northern Knights against North West Warriors this year surpassed the previous highest, seven years earlier by John Mooney at Eglinton.

Adair also has the highest strike rate of any player in the tournament, a phenomenal 178 from his 13 innings, his 301 runs coming from just 169 balls at an average of 30.

Tucker and Stirling’s absence leaves two of the top three slots vacant in the Ireland team so there could be room for both Adair and the other uncapped player in the squad, Stephen Doheny, to make their debuts in the first T20 international on January 12.

Tucker will play for the Mumbai Indians Emirates in the International T20 but because of their fixture schedule he will be able to fit in only one game before joining up with the Ireland team for the three one-day internationals which start on January 18. The bulk of the action in the UAE, however, takes place after the ODIs against Zimbabwe.

Harry Tector, meanwhile, has got a gig at the Nepal T20. He will be playing for the Lumbini All Stars in the six-team, 15-day tournament which starts on Friday and it allows him to be available for all Ireland’s fixtures in Zimbabwe.