Left-arm spinner George Dockrell made his international debut for Ireland as a 17-year-old in 2010 though he had been bowling spin for only four years at that point, after coach Brian O'Rourke spotted him having a bowl in a car park during an Ireland age-group tour of Wales.

Dockrell played a key role in Ireland's 2010 T20 World Cup campaign, seeing off Netherlands in the qualifying tournament before taking 3 for 16 against West Indies and choking England's middle order with four overs for 19 runs. School exams then prevented him facing Australia in an ODI but a month later he was offered a contract at Somerset.

He made headlines after trapping Sachin Tendulkar lbw in the 2011 ODI World Cup as an 18-year-old, and went on to captain Ireland in the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, finishing that year as the ICC Associate Player of the Year. Three years later, he took 3 for 50 in a big win over West Indies in the ODI World Cup in Australia, Ireland won three of their six games.

By the turn of the decade, Dockrell was evolving into a batting allrounder, batting as high as No. 5 when previously he had been slotted in at No. 10 or 11. In 2021 he scored a 45 in an ODI win over South Africa. The following year, he made a T20I half-century against Afghanistan, and helped Ireland seal one of their three victories in the T20I World Cup.

His father, Derek, also represented Ireland in the days when the side was all-amateur and not allowed to qualify for the World Cup.