Dublin, Feb 13 (IANS): Ireland Women’s head coach Ed Joyce has decided to step down from the role at the end of his current contract, the country's cricket board said.
The former England and Ireland batter Joyce will finish his coaching tenure following the upcoming ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier.
“It has been a privilege to lead Cricket Ireland’s women’s performance programme and to work with this group of dedicated cricketers and support staff. The last six years have been an incredible journey – not just for me personally, but for the players, coaches and, indeed, the entire performance programme.
"This is not, I hope, the end of my journey with Irish cricket. You never can anticipate the future and what opportunities this great sport of cricket will offer in the years to come," said Joyce in a statement.
The 46-year-old was appointed as the women’s permanent head coach in September 2019, after a three-month period as the interim coach following the departure of Aaron Hamilton. He has overseen one of the greatest periods of transformation in Irish women’s cricket over the last six years, and will end his tenure with a last shot at qualifying for a 50-over World Cup – an achievement that has eluded Ireland Women since 2005.
To date, Ireland Women have played 97 times during Joyce’s reign (51 wins, 44 losses and two no-results), including a range of stunning results over many of the world’s best sides.
Joyce's last task will be to try and get Ireland to qualify for this year's ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in India later this year, with the side attempting to be one of two teams to earn their place at the event via the qualifier tournament that is set to be held in the coming months.
It will be Joyce's final matches in charge of Ireland, with the highly-accomplished coach to step down following the event and the end of his current contract.
"Ed’s impact on the senior women’s programme will be felt for years to come. He has been instrumental in transforming the senior women’s set-up during his tenure, instilling in the players a sense that they belong at the sport’s top table.
“While we tried to convince Ed to extend his time in the role, he felt that this was an appropriate time to refresh the leadership. He’ll lead the team one last time at the Qualifier in Pakistan this April, then handover what is a strong foundation for the next head coach to build upon," said Graeme West, Director of High Performance at Cricket Ireland.
Joyce made his name as a top-order batter for England and Ireland. He retired as a player in 2018 – a dual-international, he played 151 times for Ireland.