Born in Johannesburg, raised in South Africa and a player for the national Under-19 side, Curtis Campher decided to leave his homeland behind and put his Irish passport to good use in early 2020, declaring his intentions to move to Ireland and play for the national team. He went on the Ireland Wolves' tour to Namibia early that year, and impressed sufficiently to win a place in the squad for a three-match ODI series in England in July.

Thrown straight into the side, Campher made half-centuries in his first two international innings, and dismissed Tom Banton with his fourth ball on debut - whom he had previously trapped lbw while playing against him for South Africa U-19s. He also took a couple of wickets in the famous Irish victory in the third match of the series, and was immediately a fixture in the one-day side. "He's a great person to captain," said Andy Balbirnie.

Campher, a diminutive seam-bowling allrounder, has ambitions to move up the order and bat in the top six. He moved to Munster Reds ahead of the 2021 domestic season after playing for Leinster Lightning in his first summer as an adopted Irishman, though ankle surgery provided a setback. It was Niall O'Brien, the long-standing Ireland wicketkeeper, who first discovered that Campher qualified - thanks to his grandmother, who was brought up in Derry - while chatting to him during a warm-up match for the 2019 World Cup Qualifier.

ESPNcricinfo staff