Neill’s injury setbacks ignite renewed determination ahead of Namibia series

Ireland bowling all-rounder Jordan Neill says past injury setbacks have made him hungrier than ever to return stronger for the upcoming one-day series in Namibia.

Neill has earned a place in new head coach Gary Wilson’s squad for the five-match series starting Thursday in Windhoek (08:30 BST).

The 21-year-old made his Ireland debut at 19 in 2025 but faced multiple injuries following his Test debut series in Bangladesh, which kept him sidelined for most of the year.

Now back in action and recently signed by the Amsterdam Flames for the inaugural European T20 Premier League, Neill is eager to make up for lost time.

“There were definitely times where I was a bit down in the dumps,” said South Africa-born Neill regarding his injury struggles.

“Coming back, it was almost like even more of a throw into the deep end kind of thing because you’ve got to swim in Bangladesh. I think it’s probably one of the hardest places to go as a fast bowler.”

“I was very excited for the New Zealand Test at the beginning of the summer. I felt that, with having played the Bangladesh games, maybe I would have a shot to get in there for that match so I really had the hopes up. But then I was hit with injury again and that was tough, especially being a Belfast boy.”

Neill believes “everything happens for a reason”, adding: “I think I’d also rather have that happen earlier on in my career than later on, learning to deal with injury and setback. It definitely does just make you a bit hungrier to come back harder.”

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