Graham Ford to step down from Ireland men's head coach role

Ireland men's head coach Graham Ford will step down from his role and will leave Cricket Ireland in December, the board said on Wednesday.

Ireland men's head coach Graham Ford will step down from his role and will leave Cricket Ireland in December, the board said on Wednesday. Ford was appointed head coach in late 2017 on initially a three-year deal, which was extended by three years in 2019.

According to Cricket Ireland, Ford's decision will see him step down from coaching duties immediately, however, he will go on leave as he sees out his contractual notice period, which will take him into mid-December. "The last four years have been very special for me -- I have enjoyed many happy days with a cricket squad made up of very special people. I have also enjoyed watching club cricket and experiencing the passion and club loyalty of many fine cricketing people," said Ford in a Cricket Ireland's statement.

"When compared with the other ICC Full Member nations, Cricket Ireland has faced many handicaps and challenges. Despite this, on several occasions, the team has competed impressively with some of the top teams in world cricket and it has been a privilege for me to experience first-hand the character and togetherness of the Irish players," Ford further added. "However, over a period of time, these challenges and handicaps have taken their toll on me. After much consideration and discussion with my family, I realise that this is the right time for me to step away from Cricket Ireland," he concluded.

Ireland men's cricket team played 102 international matches during Ford's reign (51 T20Is, 47 ODIs, 3 Tests, and 1 List A match). According to Cricket Ireland, Ford had once cited Ireland's debut men's Test match against Pakistan at Malahide as his proudest moment in Irish colours. (ANI)

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