Ireland Men's cricket team begin a five-match one-day international (ODI) series against Namibia on Thursday, an important part of the squad’s preparations for next year’s World Cup Qualifiers in Namibia and South Africa.

Captain Paul Stirling will lead the 16-player squad having recovered from a recent leg injury with Gary Wilson, Ireland's head coach, also welcoming Ed Joyce into his backroom staff with the former Ireland women’s boss, now taking on the responsibilities as men’s batting coach.

Wilson took over from Heinrich Milan earlier this year as the South African bowed out of the Irish job a year early having learned that his contract wouldn’t be renewed by Cricket Ireland.

"It's fair to say that we'll use the squad we are bringing," said Wilson, "but we'll certainly be trying to win the games as well.

"Obviously, we have an eye on the qualifiers, for sure we do, and it is about building up towards that, but ultimately these are internationals in their own right as well."

Ireland last tour to Windhoek in Namibia was for a four-day game in the now defunct Intercontinental Cup back in 2015 with Ireland, who were an associate nation at the time, winning comfortably by an innings and 107 runs as Joyce helped himself to a double century.

This series though, at the National Cricket Ground in Windhoek, Namibia will be the first-ever time Ireland and Namibia have met in Men’s ODIs.

Ireland's last international series was the controversial five game ODI series in Bready and Belfast, a series in which Ireland lost comprehensively by 4 matches to nil, with one abandoned and Wilson, still finding his feet as the new coach, is determined that there will not be a repeat in Windhoek.

"I think at times we showed against Afghanistan, there was positives with the bat and the ball and actually in the field as the series went on, (but) we probably just didn't do it for long enough.

"We showed at times that we could break partnerships, although I think Afghanistan showed that at the minute, they are probably just slightly ahead of us.

"I think they are a very, very good side, quite possibly the second-best side in Asia and they were able to put on huge partnerships."

"They obviously had massive wicket taking options through the middle, and we didn't quite have the answers for that.

"I think we will get a better indication as to what answers we have for those questions off the back of this tour and in Zimbabwe (where the Irish Wolves side play in November).

"I do expect that there will be a rotation and some different bowlers used. But I guess the objectives aren't only on the pitch. Some guys have objectives off the pitch as well that we want to see.

"So, I wouldn't read too much into what you might see in three, four months' time in the qualifiers either.

"But we do have the goal of winning the series (in Namibia), that is without doubt."

Ireland's next fixtures were due to take place in Pakistan in January which would have also included a one-off test match, and a tri series involving Zimbabwe.

However, Zimbabwe pulled out for commercial reasons and Cricket Ireland have yet to confirm any dates for touring Pakistan, although the test match has been scrapped.

The World Cup qualifiers will take place in February and March next year and Ireland will be one of the ten teams in the qualifier which also incudes the West Indies.

Only four countries will make the finals in Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa, joining hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe and the next eight highest-ranked ODI teams in the ICC rankings at the finals.

FIXTURES

22 October: Ireland Men v Namibia Men – 1st ODI (Windhoek; start time: 8.30am (Irish time)) 24 October: Ireland Men v Namibia Men – 2nd ODI (Windhoek; start time: 8.30am (Irish time)) 27 October: Ireland Men v Namibia Men – 3rd ODI (Windhoek; start time: 7.30am (Irish time)) 30 October: Ireland Men v Namibia Men – 4th ODI (Windhoek; start time: 7.30am (Irish time)) 1 November: Ireland Men v Namibia Men – 5th ODI (Windhoek; start time: 7.30am (Irish time))