Gary Wilson to miss Ireland's January one-day international series' against UAE and Afghanistan
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Gary Wilson will remain in Ireland for the birth of his second child
Ireland wicket-keeper batsman Gary Wilson will miss one-day international series against the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan in January.
Wilson will not join the tour in order to be at home for the birth of his second child, with Neil Rock coming in as wicket-keeper cover.
The matches against Afghanistan will be part of the World Super League.
Ireland have named a 16-man squad for the tour, their first matches since the dramatic win over England in August.
That run-chase victory marked the end of a one-day international series Ireland lost 2-1 to the world champions.
A Cricket Ireland statement said in normal circumstances Wilson would have been able to join up with the squad after the birth.
"However, this is not possible under the Covid-19 protocols in place for the series without an extended period of self-isolation, so it was agreed that this would rule him out on this occasion," the governing body added.
The tour will also be the first since Stuart Barnes, the new assistant head coach and national bowling lead, joined the support staff.
Match dates, playing times and venue details will be announced in coming days.
Several players and support staff will remain at home under coronavirus safe conditions in case a substitute needs to be flown out to Abu Dhabi during the month.
'Pleased with progress in 2020'
The Ireland team may have played just 12 matches in a disrupted 2020, but head coach Graham Ford believes the squad can be pleased with the progress they have made.
"It goes without saying that 2020 has been a difficult year, but the lads have acquitted themselves well and can be proud of what they have managed to achieve," he said, pointing to away Twenty20 wins against world champions West Indies and Afghanistan, as well as the ODI victory in England.
"Those wins have helped build self-belief within the players.
"We have two challenging series ahead of us, but we're looking to create a sense of momentum going into a big year - a year that will feature multiple tours, a full home season and a T20 World Cup."
Ireland squad: Andrew Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, David Delany, Gareth Delany, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Kevin O'Brien, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.