The Ireland men's cricket head coach Graham Ford has stepped down from his position with immediate effect.
Ford has been in the position of head coach since 2017 and his current contract was not due to expire until 2022 after he signed a three-year extension in 2019.
The South African - who has also coached Sri Lanka - was in charge for the country’s first ever Test match against Pakistan in 2018, an occasion which he cited as his proudest moment during his Ireland tenure. He also guided the side through their first Test appearance at Lord’s a year later.
His last match as head coach was the recent T20 World Cup defeat to Namibia, a result which knocked Ireland out of the competition. In total, he oversaw 102 international matches.
The South African cited a series of challenges faced by Cricket Ireland as the motivation behind his decision:
“The last four years have been very special for me” said Ford upon the announcement of his resignation.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“I’d like to end by thanking all the players and the support staff for their impressive attitudes and loyal support during the four years and I look forward to watching them achieve big things in the future.”
Cricket Ireland high performance director Richard Holdsworth offered more detail on the toll the pandemic has taken on Ford and his coaching staff:
“It would be sugar-coating the occasion to not acknowledge the challenges that Graham has faced - in many respects, unprecedented challenges. The physical and mental impact of the pandemic has been much talked about regarding players, but the coaches and support staff are equally impacted by circumstances.
“In fact, you could almost say it can have a greater impact on those within leadership positions in a squad as they often bear the weight of those who are under their guidance, as well as their own personal struggles.
“Graham has been a stoic coach, mentor and support for a squad of players dealing with extremely demanding circumstances. And, as he admits himself, it has taken its toll and he needs a break from the game.
“I know, from working closely with Graham, that the difficulties of managing his workload during the Covid pandemic has been particularly taxing - the constant travelling around Ireland to train with players, lengthy periods living within bio-bubbles, and the burdens of coaching for large periods under travel restrictions and a recruitment freeze which prevented us from hiring coaching support to name but a few challenges.
“No one will truly know or appreciate how many hours Graham put in taking one-on-one sessions with senior players during Covid - such was his commitment and desire to not see the development of a crop of young players stunted by the pandemic’s restrictions.
“Personally I shall miss him greatly, and while disappointed that we will lose him, I can’t but respect that Graham is putting his mental health, physical health and family first at this time.”
An interim coaching arrangement for next month’s tour to the USA will be announced at a later stage.
