IRELAND face Australia in Stormont tomorrow and it could be the start of a tasty string of internationals for fans over the next two summers.

Cricket Ireland announced yesterday that Pakistan and Sri Lanka would be coming for two ODIs apiece in 2016, while a source in the governing body revealed to Inside Edge that a further five or six ODIs would take place here next year.

While two or three are likely to be against Afghanistan, there is also set to be a glut of top-quality games as Ireland’s enhanced status in the sport starts to kick in.

Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have been lined up for multi-international visits over the next two seasons, with other sides expected ahead of the 2017 Champions Trophy in England.

Tomorrow’s game will therefore be the first chance for Ireland’s stars to break one of their few remaining bogeys.

In 17 previous home ODIs against the ICC’s full members, the best Ireland achieved was a tie with Pakistan.

“We missed out on a really good chance at beating Australia a couple of years ago in Clontarf,” says captain William Porterfield, “and unfortunately no result was possible last time out at Stormont.

“We know we are a much improved side since then, and we’ve shown it on the world stage over the last few years.

“The younger lads who have come into the squad have really fitted in well and shown they’re more than capable of mixing it with the best. With a capacity crowd behind us we’ll be going all out for the win.”

A win is probably more likely than a capacity crowd, sadly, as the Belfast public has not responded to the opportunity to see the World one-day champions as enthusiastically as Cricket Ireland hoped.

Ireland’s first ODI, against England in 2006, saw 7,500 cram into the ground on the Stormont estate. Last week, at a sparsely-attended interpro, it emerged that less than 2,000 tickets had been sold for the Australians.

Perhaps, after the washout of the last Aussie visit and this year’s England game, fans are waiting for the weather forecast as Stormont is prone to showers.

Even locals bemoan the micro-climate which has seen more than half of the 15 ODIs at the venue reduced or abandoned because of rain.

That would be a pity as both the Irish and Australian sides deserve a full house – the visitors bring a very different side to that which lost the Ashes.

Just five of the team that won the World Cup at Melbourne in March are in the squad, with Steve Smith taking over from Michael Clarke in his first game as full-time Australia captain.

Ireland are likely to have just one change from their World Cup side, with Tim Murtagh returning after injury and replacing the retired Alex Cusack.

Tickets are still on sale at Ticketmaster.ie and the game will be shown live on Setanta Ireland.

Ireland: W Porterfield (captain), A Balbirnie, G Dockrell, E Joyce, J Mooney, T Murtagh, A McBrine, K O’Brien, N O’Brien, P Stirling, S Thompson, G Wilson, C Young

Australia: S Smith (captain), A Agar, G Bailey, J Burns, N Coulter-Nile, P Cummins, G Maxwell, M Marsh, J Pattinson , M Starc, M Stoinis, M Wade (wk), S Watson, D Warner


***

ONE of the longest held streaks in Irish cricket is under threat this year. Since 2000, Ed Joyce has been the leading Irish run-scorer in English first-class cricket, although in 2008 Niall O’Brien came within 49 of unseating him.

This year Joyce has been under-par but made a classy century at the weekend against a star-studded Yorkshire attack. His current total of 769 is being chased hard by O’Brien (693) and Gary Wilson (596).

All three men have three games left in September.

***


THERE’S a Malahide cricketer in action in an ICC tournament next week. Alessandro Morris turns out for the Cayman Islands in WCL Division Six in England against Norway, Saudi Arabia and Vanuatu.

It also means he misses the crucial last game of the Leinster season as the Villagers battle to avoid the drop.


***

FIXTURES

Saturday: Leinster Div1: Cork County v Clontarf, North County v Merrion, YMCA v Pembroke, Railway v Malahide

Sunday: IP50: North West Warriors v Leinster Lightning, Strabane 10.45am; Women’s Division 1: The Hills v Merrion, 10am

Tuesday: Women’s Division 1: Leinster v Merrion 5pm