London, May 28 (IANS): Ireland's Paul Stirling said that he is hopeful that his team's ODI series in England will go ahead behind closed doors despite the threat of coronavirus. The three-match ODI series was scheduled to be played in September but could now be played in a short window in July.

Stirling and his teammates are at the on-site hotel at Hampshire's Ageas Bowl and with strict health protocols in place.

"I'd love it to go ahead," Stirling told ESPNcricinfo. "I think there's obviously still going to be risks involved no matter what, but it's [about] limiting those risks.

"Having a set date for a return to matches is helpful to the lads over here. If that's, say, the end of July, it gives us something to look forward to and train towards, whereas at the minute you're getting cancellations all the time… so there's nothing on the horizon.

"You're getting up each morning with nothing much to train for apart from your own personal satisfaction. It would be nice to get something actually pencilled in there. If there was a date where we had three games lined up against England, it would ease a lot of that mental pressure."