Gary Wilson has been appointed Head Coach of the Ireland men’s team after the surprise resignation yesterday of Heinrich Malan who had been in the role for four years.

Although the South African’s departure and swift announcement of his successor was a long-planned move, Malan could hardly have bowed out on a higher note than on the day after his charges completed a 2-0 series victory over T20 world champions India.

“It has been an absolute privilege to work with these players, staff and the wider Irish cricket community,” Malan said.

“We can look back with great pride on our historic T20 World Cup victory against England, three Test match wins, and of course the historic series win at home against India.

‘We’ve beaten Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa too, and consistently challenged the world's top teams — it has been a very special journey.”

The in-house promotion of his Belfast-born 40-year-old deputy is part of a ‘planned transition’.

Wilson played 292 times for Ireland between 2005 and 2020 — as one of the ‘golden generation’ — as well as enjoying a long career in county cricket with Surrey, whom he captained, and Derbyshire. 

“I have been extremely fortunate over the years to have worked with some of the best coaches around and to have had the opportunity to learn so much,” he said.

“My coaching beliefs are centered around strong communication, building and maintaining relationships to get the best out of players, hard work, a player focus, and setting high challenges for those who are driven to succeed. 

“Above all, the power of the connection to the Shamrock is something I’ve witnessed and is something I intend to use to our advantage.”