George Ross Adair, born on 21 April 1994 in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, is a Northern Irish professional cricketer and former rugby union player who represents Ireland in international competitions.
After a professional rugby career cut short by injury, he transitioned fully to cricket, playing domestic cricket for the Northern Knights and making his international debut for Ireland in T20Is.
He is the older brother of fellow Ireland international Mark Adair, and the pair have played together for their country.
Siblings
Ross has one sibling, his younger brother Mark Adair, who is also a professional cricketer representing Ireland across all formats.
Their parents are Ricky Adair and Joanne Adair.
When Ross made his international debut, he received his cap from Mark, and the Adairs became the first set of brothers to play for Ireland in an international match since Niall and Kevin O’Brien in 2018.
Career
Adair began as a dual-sport athlete.
In rugby, he played schools rugby for Sullivan Upper School, earned two Ireland Under-19 caps against England and France, featured for the Ulster Ravens in the British and Irish Cup, and made one senior appearance for Ulster in the Pro12, scoring a try against the Dragons in 2015.
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He then spent two and a half seasons with Jersey Reds in the RFU Championship, making more than 40 appearances, before a degenerative hip condition forced him to retire from professional rugby after two operations.
He returned briefly at amateur level with Ballynahinch RFC, helping them win the Ulster Senior League in 2019 and earning Club Player of the Year honours.
Turning fully to cricket in 2020, Adair made his Twenty20 debut for the Northern Knights in the Inter-Provincial Trophy on 20 August 2020 and his List A debut on 30 June 2021.
Adair earned his Ireland T20I debut (cap 56) on 12 January 2023 against Zimbabwe in Harare.
An aggressive opening or top-order batter known for power-hitting and a high strike rate, he has continued to feature for the Northern Knights and has appeared in Ireland’s T20I side, including selection for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad.
He has also played for sides such as Edinburgh Castle Rockers.
Accolades
Adair’s notable achievements include scoring a try in his sole senior rugby appearance for Ulster and being named Club Player of the Year after helping Ballynahinch win the Ulster Senior League.
In cricket, he scored a match-winning 65 off 47 balls in only his second T20I against Zimbabwe.
His standout international moment came on 29 September 2024 when he scored his maiden T20I century, an unbeaten 100 off 58 balls (including nine sixes) against South Africa in Abu Dhabi, helping Ireland secure a historic first T20I win over the Proteas.
He became only the third Irish man (and fifth Irish cricketer overall) to score a T20I hundred.
He was also selected in Ireland’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
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