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Dublin, May 6 (Ians) Opener Paul Stirling has been named in Ireland’s 15-man squad for their one-off Test against England at Lord’s, to happen from June 1-4. Stirling had returned to red-ball cricket during Ireland’s second Test match against Sri Lanka and scored his maiden Test century at Galle.

Ireland have not rested left-arm fast bowler Josh Little, who is having an Indian Premier League (Ipl) stint with Gujarat Titans. Little, though, is back with the Ireland squad to play three ODIs against Bangladesh at Chelmsford in the upcoming week and will return to India for Ipl 2023 post the completion of the series.

“Regarding Josh Little, although the Ipl will have finished, we are very conscious of the need for Josh to rest, recover and prepare for what will be a busy and important summer for us in white-ball cricket,” said Andrew White, Ireland Men’s National Selector,...

Galle, April 28 (Ians) Off-spinner Ramesh Mendis picked a five-wicket haul while conceding 64 runs as Sri Lanka beat Ireland by an innings and ten runs on day five of the second Test to complete a 2-0 series sweep at the Galle International Stadium, here on Friday.

Ireland had put up a record-breaking performance in the first innings, crossing 400 for the first time in Test cricket with Paul Stirling and Curtis Campher both making hundreds in their total of 492. But going into the final day’s play, they were facing an uphill battle for survival after Sri Lanka declared on 704/3 in their first innings and Ireland had lost two wickets on day four.

Day five’s play began with Andrew Balbirnie and Harry Tector in the middle, but the Ireland captain was struck on the helmet by a bouncer from the fiery Asitha Fernando and left the field after receiving medical attention.

Galle, April 26 (Ians) Ireland were made to toil hard by Sri Lankan batters on day three of the second Test at Galle International Stadium, here on Wednesday as captain Dimuth Karunaratne hit his 16th Test century while Nishan Madushka notched up his maiden hundred in the longest format of the game.

At stumps on day three, Sri Lanka were trailing Ireland by 135 runs, having reached 357/1 as rain brought early finish to the play. Though the hosts’ lost Karunaratne’s wicket, Madushka remained unbeaten on 149 while Kusal Mendis was unconquered at 83, with Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher taking the only wicket to fall on day three.

Starting the day from 81/0 and trailing by 411 runs, Karunaratne led the early charge, hitting his first boundary in aggressive style, slashing Campher’s first ball of the day hard over the cordon for four, and there was little let-up thereafter.

His half-century came up off 61 balls,...

Galle, April 23 (Ians) Ireland spin bowling coach Nathan Hauritz is backing his slow bowlers to produce an improved performance in the second Test against Sri Lanka starting here on Monday.

Last week’s first Test was a one-sided affair as four Sri Lanka batters scored centuries and Ireland’s spinners struggled to adjust to the conditions as the hosts cruised to an emphatic innings and 280-run victory.

But Hauritz is confident Ireland will be more competitive when the second and final Test of the series commences on Monday, especially if his team has some luck at the toss and gets the chance to bat first.

“If we get the opportunity to bat first and put a good score on the board I’ll back our spinners to create problems and it will be interesting to see how their (Sri Lanka) batters play against us. But bowling first in these conditions...

Dublin, April 21 (Ians) Cricket Ireland on Friday announced their squad for the three-game Odi series against Bangladesh to be held from May 9-14 in Chelmsford.

The series offers Ireland a potential automatic qualification spot for the Icc Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 if they can win all three matches of the Super League, where they are ranked 11th.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have already qualified for the global Odi tournament to be held in India in October-November. In the squad captained by Andrew Balbirnie, left-arm pacer Josh Little has also been included.

Little is currently turning out for defending champions Gujarat Titans in Ipl 2023. Conor Olphert, Matthew Humphreys and Ross Adair were not available for the series due to examination/work commitments.

“The senior squad has a more familiar look, with much of the squad having been part of the set-up in Zimbabwe (January) and Bangladesh (March) Odi fixtures.

Dublin, April 3 (Ians) Opener Paul Stirling is set to join Ireland’s Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka and will be available for selection for the second Test to be played in Galle from April 24-28. Stirling’s addition makes Ireland’s travelling squad a 16-player party for the second game of the two-Test series.

Ireland’s tour to Sri Lanka was initially supposed to consist of one Test and two ODIs. But the hosts’ quest to get more red-ball matches meant the two ODIs got converted into an extra Test match. Both the Tests will be played in Galle between April 16 and 28.

“Paul was originally set to join the squad in Sri Lanka for the Odi series that was originally planned. However, with those fixtures now converted to a Test match, and the scheduled Bangladesh T20I series in Ireland postponed, he will now have a greater...

Chattogram, March 31 (Ians) Paul Stirling and Matthew Humphreys played crucial roles in guiding Ireland to a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the third and final T20I match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Friday.

Humphreys took two wickets in his first three balls on his T20I debut as Ireland bowled Bangladesh out for 124 in 19.2 overs. In a standout performance with the ball, all seven of Ireland’s bowlers contributed to the wicket tally, Bangladesh falling four balls short of batting their 20 overs.

Stirling then knocked off the bulk of the runs with the bat, scoring 77 off 41 as Ireland chased down their target with six overs to spare. The result was Ireland’s first-ever win over Bangladesh on home soil though the hosts’ won the T20I series 2-1.

In stark contrast to the fast starts made in the first two matches of the series, Bangladesh capitulated in...

Chattogram, March 26 (Ians) Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie will be rested for his team’s T20I series against Bangladesh starting from Monday and opener Paul Stirling will step into the role, Cricket Ireland said on Sunday.

“Andrew was due to take a break from the Odi series against Sri Lanka next month to concentrate on preparation for the upcoming Tests and the all-important World Cup Super League series in May.

With the Sri Lankan Odi series now being converted to a second Test Match, he will now be rested from this T20I series instead,” said head coach Heinrich Malan in a press conference.

Stirling has captained Ireland six times in T20Is in the past and has been vice-captain of Ireland team since 2019. With Balbirnie now rested, and Stirling stepping in, Lorcan Tucker will act as vice-captain for the series against Bangladesh.

“We flagged before the tour that there...

Sylhet, March 20 (Ians) Rain resulted in a washout of the second Odi between Bangladesh and Ireland in Sylhet after Mushfiqur Rahim slammed the fastest century by a batter from the hosts in the format, which in turn propelled them to post their highest-ever Odi total in 349/6, breaking the record of 338 they set in the first match of the series on Saturday.

Rahim reached the landmark on the final ball of Bangladesh’s innings. His 60-ball hundred, laced with 14 fours and two sixes at a strike-rate of 166.66, was enough to better the previous best record of a 63-ball ton by Shakib Al Hasan, which came against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2009.

Rahim’s hundred came from number after he walked in to bat in the 34th over of the innings. He also got to 7000 Odi runs, becoming the third Bangladesh batter after Shakib and Tamim Iqbal to reach the landmark. Rahim now has nine Odi centuries,...

New York -- The sweetest space cadet you'll ever meet is Miriam, the spunky heroine of a warm-hearted new play, "7th Monarch." The intriguing drama by Jim Henry, detailing several mysteries surrounding once-promising math whiz Miriam, is currently running in a compelling, finely-acted production off-Broadway at Theatre Row.

We first see Miriam (a remarkable, touching performance by Gretchen Hall) wearing her personal space helmet, dedicating a time capsule to her missing parents on a cliff in the middle of the night. In her early thirties, she's friendly, personable and sharp-witted, although oddly childlike and disconnected, with terrible social skills.

Miriam is accused of fraud by a Social Security office criminal investigator, Raina, (Leslie Hendrix, stern, yet not unsympathetic), for signing her missing parents' government checks during the past few months. Due to circumstantial evidence, she's soon also suspected of murdering her parents, whose disappearance she bafflingly explains as, "The stars...

7th Monarch, a new play by Jim Henry, featuring Tony Award winner Michael Rupert, is set to play an Off-Broadway limited engagement at Theatre Rows Acorn Theatre June 12th through September 9th. Opening night is Sunday, June 24th. In addition to Michael Rupert, the cast of 7th Monarch features Michael Cullen, Gretchen Hall, Leslie Hendrix and Matthew Humphreys, under the direction of Scott C. Embler.

I came across this piece of art that looked like a Victorian-era Batman. It's from a 1904 illustrated comic book called Spring Heeled Jack - The Terror of London. (Hat tip: Vintage Gal)

Who is Spring Heeled Jack?

The story of Spring Heeled Jack begins rather innocently as a simple rumor starting in the south western area of London, early 19th century. Beginning in 1837, citizens began reporting sightings of a figure who could seem to leap across entire streets in one bound and over ten foot hedges with scary speed and precision. Dressed in black and often taking on demonic features, Spring Heeled Jack’s eyes glowed like red lasers and was often seen breathing blue flames through his nostrils and mouth

So I started thinking there must be some cool Victorian Era Batman art out there. I've put together a collection of art with a couple bonus images.

Victorian Batman...

These days, Jonathan Frakes is a captain in his own right.

The former Star Trek: The Next Generation actor and director makes his living mostly behind the scenes with a plethora of directing gigs, notably on The Glades, Leverage, Burn Notice and even V, to keep on fresh sci-fi.

Jonathan's latest gig is to direct tomorrow night's episode of the Community TV series Bar Karma, an interactive experience engineered by The Sims creator Will Wright and Spike TV founder Albie Hecht, where the internet community literally creates the story for each individual episode.

For those unfamiliar with the show, the official description reads:

“Set at a mystical watering hole at the edge of the universe, Bar Karma stars William Sanderson (True Blood, Lost, Deadwood) as James, the 20,000 year-old bartender, Matthew Humphreys (Obsessed, Big Love, The Forgotten) as bar owner Doug Jones, and Cassie Howarth (Deranged High, Deathclock) as the lone waitress,...

Jonathan Frakes, best known for his portrayal of Commander William T. Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, will be directing his wife Genie Francis, Laura Spencer from General Hospital, on episode 9 of Current TV’s Bar Karma, the world’s first community-developed television series which airs on Friday nights at 10 p.m. Et/9 Central.

The two storylines Bar Karma is looking for viewers to explore further for this episode center around a woman, in the present day, who either has multiple personalities, or she’s a twin. In previous roles, Genie Francis has accidentally killed a few people, suffered a mental breakdown and been in a catatonic state. What will her character be up to in Bar Karma? And what is her karma dilemma? That's up to you to decide by submitting your pitches on "The Woman with Multiple Personalities" or "The Twin" through Monday, February 21. The episode will...

The premise of "Bar Karma" may be a bit more sci-fi than pure horror, but any TV show about a "mystical watering hole at the end of the universe" sounds worthy of attention. Add in the fact that viewers will have the chance to influence the show's characters, storylines, and even brand integrations before it debuts, and how could we not at least mention it?

From the Press Release:

Current TV's “Bar Karma,” a community developed drama series created by world-renowned video game designer Will Wright (creator of The Sims and SimCity) and Worldwide Biggies’ CEO Albie Hecht, will premiere Friday, February 11, 2011, at 10:00 pm Et.

For the first time ever, the groundbreaking format used to produce “Bar Karma” gives the viewing public the opportunity to inform the plots, characters, and overall development of this new, original series before they air via Wright's innovative, easy-to-use Storymaker application (online at Current.