By Ger Siggins

IRELAND face New Zealand in a rare home Test match next week. Since the inaugural five dayer in June 2018 there has only been one other, in Stormont two years ago, so fans of the longest format will be flocking back to the Belfast venue from Wednesday week.

One man who can’t wait to be there is Matthew Humphreys, who can expect to be Ireland’s main contributor of spin.

He is eager to get back to red ball cricket, by far his favourite format.

‘It’s just the tactics of it,’ he offers. ‘There's so many different phases in the game that you don't really get in white ball cricket. T20 cricket is just the same thing over and over again. People say red ball cricket is boring, but to me T20 cricket is boring.

‘It's just, you try to hit every ball for six and the bowler tries not to get it hit for six.

‘Tactically red ball cricket’s very difficult at times, but when it comes off there's no better feeling. Especially as a spin bowler, bowling teams out on the final day – you don't get anything better than that.’

That takes him back to the Bulawayo test against Zimbabwe last Spring, when he took 6-57 in the final innings to bowl Ireland to victory. Is that the highlight of his career to date?

‘Yeah, statistically it’s definitely the highlight of my career, but to be honest I think I have bowled better spells. It was just one of those days where things click for you.

‘Cricket's such a fickle game: you bowl badly some days and you take wickets and you bowl well other days and you get whacked. Learning to accept that has been quite a big part of my development.

‘People talk a lot about the lack of red ball cricket we play. Winning those three tests in a row showed the world that we are able to compete on the Test stage.

‘In Tests, it's hard to escape a beating at times which makes the good days all the sweeter.

‘Bulawayo was a really well-poised match throughout. We beat them in Belfast in another tight game and we knew that they would be up for it in their backyard. That whole final day is going to be hard to forget.’

Still only 23, Humphreys is captain of the Northern Knights and leads the northern side in the pre-Test Emerald Challenge in Malahide this week.

After several years of such fixtures with meaningless selections under the names ‘Raiders’ and ‘Strikers’ this week’s teams have been selected as north v south XIs. There was an attempt to switch a Leinster Lightning batsman to the northern side but Humphreys and his team-mates resisted.

‘We take a bit of inspiration from the old North v South games that were a big part of Irish cricket. It can be hard to prepare for a game where you're in mixed teams and it all feels like a training match. It means nothing.

‘So, we’re definitely going in wanting to get one up on the Southern guys and I'm sure they'll be doing the same. Hopefully we can put a bit of edge into it.’

Humphreys is in a transitional phase in his life at the minute, just finished his Maths degree at Trinity, moving home to Belfast, and switching from Lisburn to his original club Instonians.

‘My time at Lisburn is a big part of where I've gotten to today. The faith they put in me over those years and the team dynamic we had.

‘Faiz Fazal was our pro, a Ranji trophy-winning captain. He was the best mentor you could have in terms of working out tactically how to bowl in competitive cricket. We won the Premier League in 2022, my breakthrough season, and then I got into the Knights set-up. It all stemmed from there.’

He’s captaining the Knights now, and the Northern Strikers side this week. It’s a role he relishes:

‘I love it. It keeps you in the game a lot of the time. It makes you feel a little bit more accountable for the results. It inspires your performance. You want to be the guy to lead from the front and show the guys how it's done in terms of captaincy style.

‘It's definitely my favourite format. The tactical nuance of the whole thing is what cricket’s all about. And getting to wear the armband is good fun.’

Is captaining Ireland in his ambitions locker?

‘Yeah, a hundred percent. It's what everyone wants. It's the highest honour you can get in what we do. It’s a while off yet, but yeah, any opportunity to captain is always a positive.’

Three years ago, Humphreys became just the seventh man to make his first-class debut in a Test since 1900. It didn’t go well, the teenager apparently losing the confidence of the captain who gave him just 10 of the 151 overs Ireland bowled.

Did he feel at that stage that Test cricket was too much for him?

‘I don't know. The main thing was it showed me how little I knew, how far off the pace I was.

‘I knew my skills weren't good enough, but I could see the level they could get to. And I didn't think it was that far away.’

He looks back on his student days with warmth.

‘I loved Trinity. It's obviously a pretty cool campus, good atmosphere, and playing for Trinity in College Park is a very cool experience.’

Maths took up a lot of his time, but he played a lot of cricket too. He had studied in Dublin where his mother Sinéad was a leading light in Trinity’s Cumann Gaelach.

Does Matt have a cúpla focail?

‘No, I'd never say never, but I haven’t, I haven't got around to it yet. It could be the next side quest.’

The next focus however is Test cricket, and turning the perennial interpro bridesmaids into a winning side.

‘I’ll be doing some professional exams in the next couple of years, maybe actuary or accountancy, but I’ve no concrete plans at the minute.

‘I still try to keep up. I'll read papers and go back and read notes and watch YouTube videos. I think when you finish your degree you realize how much you don't know.’

But first, he’s got to get the sums right in Stormont.