Heinrich Malan to coach Ireland for two more years
The coach was appointed in 2022 for a three-year tenure
Heinrich Malan, current head coach of Ireland, has agreed to a two-year contract extension as head coach of the team.
Malan was appointed in January 2022 for three years and will now be with the team until 2027, making his tenure a total of almost five years.
As Malan has been with the team for a long time, this decision comes in to help Ireland qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The qualifier for the tournament will be held in 2026 meaning that the status of the Irish’s qualification will become evident by the end of Malan’s tenure.
Despite missing the last two ten-team ODI World Cups, Ireland has impressed in the T20 format. They’ve not only participated in both recent T20 World Cups but even upset champions England in the group stage of the latest edition. In February, they achieved a historic milestone by winning their first-ever Test match, defeating Afghanistan. Now, they set their sights on the 2024 T20 World Cup which kicks off in the Caribbean on June 1st.
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Malan spoke about the ambitious Irish team and his role, “I am delighted with the extension as it provides the squad and coaching staff with a great deal more certainty as we build upon the foundations we have put in place over the last two years.
“We are now a three-format squad and – despite our smaller talent pool to draw from compared to other Full Members – we have been gradually building a sustainable structure that ensures we can continue to compete and improve on all three fronts.
“This work has borne fruit in two successful T20 World Cup qualifying campaigns and our recent Test success. But we are all conscious that we’ve missed out on playing in the last two 50-over world cups, and qualification for the 2027 tournament will be one of the focus areas across the next three years.”
Following successful contract negotiations with pay increases for Irish players, Dawid Malan’s extension was a smooth process, as confirmed by Cricket Ireland’s High Performance Director, Richard Holdsworth.
“Over the last 18 months or so, the team has improved significantly in the T20 format which was our weakest format,” Holdsworth said. “His research into what world-class looks like, and the data he has gathered around the T20 format globally, has led to the production of a blueprint for the Ireland Men’s team.”
Malan will coach the Irish team that has recently won against Pakistan in a T20I for the first time. Despite losing the series by 2-1, this is a big feat for Ireland and gives them hope for their future.
“With new leadership in white-ball cricket, the relationship between Heinrich and the two captains has been key,” Holdsworth said. “This goes from strength to strength, and we now have a key focus on strategic planning towards the 2027 Cricket World Cup in mind. I look forward to seeing what the next three years bring.”
It should be remembered that Ireland is grouped with India, Canada, the USA, and Pakistan in group A of the T20 World Cup 2024.
The first match of the tournament is slated for June 1st with Ireland’s first match scheduled against India on June 5th in New York.
Ireland fixtures for T20 World Cup 2024:
5 June 2024 – INDIA v IRELAND, New York.
7 June 2024 – CANADA v IRELAND, New York.
14 June 2024 – USA v IRELAND, Florida.
16 June 2024 – PAKISTAN v IRELAND, Florida.
Ireland squad for T20 World Cup 2024:
Paul Stirling (Capt), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
