Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan will step down from his role, the country’s cricket board announced on Monday, just a day after the team secured a historic 2-0 T20 series whitewash against India.
The South African, who took the helm in 2022, presided over a period of significant progress for Irish cricket. Under his leadership, Ireland qualified for three consecutive T20 World Cups, achieved their first three Test match victories, and clinched their inaugural series win against India.
Few had anticipated Ireland’s dominance in the recent two-match series, yet they humbled India twice in three days, spoiling Shreyas Iyer’s debut as India’s T20 captain. This marked India’s first T20 series defeat since 2023.
Despite his current contract extending into early 2027, Cricket Ireland stated that the 45-year-old “believes the timing is right in the cycle to step back following the just-concluded successful T20 series versus India.”
Malan will be succeeded by Gary Wilson, who represented Ireland 292 times as a player between 2005 and 2020.
Wilson joined Ireland’s coaching setup as an assistant in 2022 and now becomes the first Irish-born head coach in over 30 years, following John Wills in the early 1990s.
Reflecting on his tenure, Malan said: “It has been an absolute privilege to work with these players, staff and the wider Irish cricket community.”
He added: “On the field, we can look back with great pride”, highlighting a T20 World Cup victory against England, Ireland’s first-ever Test win against Afghanistan, and a maiden home Test triumph versus Zimbabwe.
Malan will collaborate with Wilson over the coming month to ensure a seamless transition as Ireland prepare for a one-day international series against Afghanistan in August.
Cricket Ireland also noted that this transition will allow Wilson to utilise the upcoming ODI series as part of preparations for the World Cup qualifiers in early 2027.
The 2027 World Cup is due to be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November next year.
Ireland will be aiming to qualify after failing to reach the 2019 and 2023 editions of the tournament, but they showed by beating India that they can compete against the best.
