MCC BEGIN 2026 OVERSEAS TOURING PROGRAMME

MCC has begun its overseas touring programme for 2026, as a strong squad of 13 players have departed Lord's for Hong Kong and India, for the opening men's trip of the year.

The squad, captained by Ireland men's Test skipper Andy Balbirnie, will initially travel to Hong Kong, where they will play in a triangular tournament with Melbourne Cricket Club, and Hong Kong Cricket Club, who are celebrating their 175th anniversary this year.

The format will be 50 overs, and the Club will face Melbourne and Hong Kong in successive days, before potentially facing one of the two sides again in a final.

There will also be a match against a President's XI, assuming the final doesn't require its Reserve Day, before a T20 match againstg Melbourne concludes the matches in Hong Kong.

The squad will then fly to Mumbai, where MCC will play matches against the Bombay Gymkhana Club, the Global Cricket School and Cricket Club of India.

As is customary with MCC tours, there will be various coaching sessions during the trip, with the Club also using the opportunity to tutor umpires and officials on the Laws.

As well as Balbirnie, the squad includes Fionn Hand, who has represented Ireland in all three international formats, Peter Hatzoglou, who has a wealth of experience in franchise leagues, and Marcus O'Riordan, an all-rounder who scored over 1,000 runs for Kent.

Several other of the MCC Playing Members on the trip compete at National Counties and ECB Premier League level.

Tour Manager for the trip is Head of Cricket at MCC, Fraser Stewart, and the umpire will be the former England seamer Angus Fraser.

Stewart said of the trip: "We're thrilled to be opening our overseas touring programme for 2026 with a tour of Hong Kong and India.

"In Hong Kong, we will be playing in a tournament that is being held as part of the Hong Kong Cricket Club's 175th anniversary and we're looking forward to what will be a competitive environment.

"As we move on to India, we expect the standard of opposition to once again be strong and we have selected a squad that represents an appropriate level.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for this set of Playing Members to represent the Club overseas in different conditions."

The squad for the tour is:

Fraser Stewart (Tour Manager)
Andrew Balbirnie (Captain)
Sam Burge
Ravan Chahal
Luke Chapman
Alfie Cooper
Fionn Hand
Peter Hatzoglou
Abhishek Kulkarni
Tomas Murphy
Marcus O'Riordan
Sam Perry
Patrick Rowe
Tarandeep Toor
Angus Fraser (Umpire)

Fixtures:

Saturday 4 April
MCC v Melbourne CC
Venue: Hong Kong CC - 50-over match

Sunday 5 April
Hong Kong CC v MCC
Venue: Hong Kong CC - 50-over match

Monday 6 April
Potential Final
Venue: Hong Kong CC - 50-over match

Tuesday 7 April
Reserve Day for Final OR President's XI Match
Venue: Hong Kong CC - 50-over match

Wednesday 8 April
MCC v Melbourne CC
Venue: Hong Kong CC - T20 match

Saturday 11 April
Bombay Gymkhana v MCC
Venue: Bombay Gymkhana - Format 50-over match

Monday 13 April
Global Cricket School v MCC
Venue: The Maidan, Mumbai - Format: 50-over match

Tuesday 14 April
Cricket Club of India v MCC
Venue: CCI - Format: 40-over match