CRICKET IRELAND HAS appointed Heinrich Malan to succeed Graham Ford as the new head coach of the men’s national team on a three-year deal.
Malan, 40, will take up the role in March subject to work permit approval.
“It’s very humbling and a huge honour to be appointed head coach of the Ireland men’s team,” the South African coach said.
“We have an exciting squad that has demonstrated that they have the ability to compete with the best players around the world. It is an exciting challenge and something that we, as a family, are really looking forward to.”
Malan leaves his post as head coach of Auckland Aces, where he has been in charge since 2019, while he previously spent six years as head coach of Central District Stags, another of New Zealand’s first-class domestic teams.
He has also been involved in a variety of roles with the New Zealand international team — as assistant coach, batting coach and fielding lead for the Black Caps, and as head coach of New Zealand A — and was seen as a leading candidate for the head coach job before Gary Stead’s appointment in 2018.
Cricket Ireland’s high performance director Richard Holdsworth heralded Malan as “an innovative coach with an interest and willingness to do things differently”.
“He is an advocate for sports science, and an intense interest in developing players – particularly in preparing them for the international stage. He has demonstrated a passion for coaching that delves into the feeder systems which lead to sustainable and successful programmes, which is perfectly aligned with what we have been establishing piece-by-piece over recent years.
“Heinrich is additionally keen to help develop coaches within our Performance system in order to help grow a pathway for Irish coaches to reach senior levels.
“Despite coming from outside the Irish system, Heinrich clearly articulated an understanding of the Irish cricket identity, and is determined to succeed in bonding the senior squad around these ideals, then flow those ideals down the pathway system.
“He fully understands the development stage we are at as a new Full Member, and is clear on the goals of the organisation – but is committed to working hard on building a skilled and confident squad that is competitive with the world’s leading sides.”
