Ireland captain William Porterfield welcomes news of Sri Lanka and Pakistan matches

Ireland captain William Porterfield has welcomed news that both Sri Lanka and Pakistan will each play two One-Day Internationals in Ireland next summer.

Both sides have played double headers in Ireland in recent years, with the games against Sri Lanka taking place on Thursday, June 16th and Saturday, June 18th while Pakistan will visit on Thursday August 18th and Saturday August 20th. Venues have yet to be finalised for the games.

"It's fantastic news and exactly the type of fixtures we've been crying out for," said William Porterfield, who is in Belfast preparing for Thursday's Hanley Energy Challenge ODI against world champions Australia at Stormont.

“Pakistan have been regular visitors to Ireland in recent years, and we’ve enjoyed some great tussles against them. Sri Lanka have also been in Dublin recently and we look forward to playing them again.

“We want to be playing regularly against top sides and these fixtures are a very welcome first step.”