This will be the third men’s T20I between USA and Ireland; Ireland won their most recent meeting by nine runs (23 December 2021) after USA won their inaugural match in the format by 26 runs (22 December 2021).
USA lost their most recent men’s T20I by seven wickets (12 June 2024 v India); they had lost only one of their nine matches in the format prior to that game (W7 T1); they will be looking to avoid back-to-back defeats in the format for the first time since July 2022.
Ireland have lost each of their last two men’s T20Is, as many as they lost across their six matches in the format prior to that span (W4 L2); the last time they recorded a longer losing run in the format was a four-match span from July to December in 2023.
USA have recorded a different result in each of their three ICC Men’s T20 World Cup matches (W1 T1 L1); they lost their most recent match in the tournament (12 June 2024 v India) after batting first on the day – each of their two games in the tournament they have avoided defeat have come bowling first.
Ireland have won only one of their last six ICC Men’s T20 World Cup matches (L5) – a five-run victory against England (26 October 2022); they have lost each of their four games in the tournament since then – the last and only time they recorded a longer losing run in the tournament was a six-match span from June 2009 to September 2012.
USA are winless in their last three men’s T20Is against Test playing countries (T1 L2); they had won three of all their five such fixtures in the format prior to that span (L2).
Andy Balbirnie (109) is one away from equaling Kevin O’Brien (110) for the third most appearances for Ireland in men’s T20Is; his T20I batting average in 2024 (27.1) is his second best in a calendar year (33.4 in 2019).
Mark Adair (11) is one away from surpassing Alex Cusack (11) for the outright third most wickets for Ireland in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup history; he’s taken at least one wicket in each of his 11 T20I bowling innings overall in 2024, recording 19 wickets in total across that span at an average of 17.9.
George Dockrell (18) is one away from surpassing Kevin O’Brien (18) for the outright second most appearances for Ireland at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup; he’s been dismissed only once in his last four T20I batting innings overall (4*, 53*, 3, 30*).
Four players have scored 200+ runs for USA in men’s T20Is in 2024 (Andries Gous – 263, Monank Patel – 240, Aaron Jones – 236, Steven Taylor – 210); this had only been achieved twice for USA prior to this year (Steven Taylor – 265 in 2019 and Steven Taylor – 233 in 2022).