Ireland Men's Head Coach Graham Ford has agreed to a new contract extension until April 2022 with Cricket Ireland.
Appointed in December 2017, Ford took over ahead of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier last March that saw Ireland lose out to Afghanistan and was in charge for Ireland's first ever Test against Pakistan in June last year.
"The last two years have been quite a journey, and we are only just starting to see the emergence of the new generation of players that will push Irish cricket forward over coming years. I still feel we have a way to go, but am committed to the task and didn't hesitate in signing a new contract," said the South African.
"I've worked with South Africa, Sri Lanka and in English county cricket and each role had its challenges. But overseeing a team in transition at the same time as adjusting to life as a Full Member has been a particularly unique challenge, but has been very rewarding."
Ford has been head coach since December 2017 and is currently preparing his squad for the upcoming GS Holding T20 Tri-Series, which beings at Malahide Cricket Ground on Sunday.
The Tri-Series will feature Ireland men’s cricket team taking on Scotland and Netherlands, with six T20 Internationals being played between 15-20 September 2019. The Tri-Series is part of Ireland’s preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier being held in the UAE next month.
"It’s an incredibly important year for Irish cricket, and the work hasn’t finished yet," said Forde. "The work we are putting in as a squad ahead of the T20 World Cup Qualifier is crucial as we seek to give ourselves the best opportunity to progress to the main tournament in Australia next year.
"As a coach, you want to see progress as a team, and you want to see development of individual players. We've certainly seen that in recent times and the potential is now there to push on further. The Qualifier will be the next marker of our progress and I am happy with progress to date."
Richard Holdsworth, Performance Director for Cricket Ireland, said: "Extending Graham’s contract is another key milestone in our plans for developing the men’s high performance strategy. The Head Coach role is far more than just overseeing the senior squad, and Graham’s experience, insights and advice have been invaluable in developing our performance systems and pathway. The last two years have been the busiest and most demanding in Irish cricket history, and it is only getting busier, so I am delighted he has agreed to continue the work we began in this new phase as a Full Member."
"The extension is also an important signal to the players – it’s a vote of confidence in the direction we’re heading and provides stability at an important stage of the our squad’s development. This will hopefully give a boost to the squad ahead of the Qualifier."
