Brace well to leave Ireland as lure of home proves too great
IRELAND are on the hunt for a new head coach after John Bracewell decided to step down at the end of his contract in December.
Bracewell was appointed at the end of the 2015 World Cup and helped Ireland qualify for the World T20 in 2016, while also helping the country attain Test status.
But, with reaching Full Member status, Bracewell has decided to move away, citing a return to his homeland of New Zealand as a main reason for stepping down.
Bracewell said: “Having been down the full-on Full Member road before with New Zealand Cricket, it is not my desire to do so again.
“Whilst my wife and I have immersed ourselves into Ireland and Irish culture we feel it is now time to return home to New Zealand and our families. I have therefore agreed with Cricket Ireland to finish up at the conclusion of my contract.
“I took on the role as head coach because I believed in the little guy getting a fair break and the cause of attaining Test status appealed to my underdog psyche.
“That having been achieved, albeit by an unexpected turn of events, has left me looking for a new goal and challenge.”
Ireland have slipped recently in their one-day exploits, winning just one match out of 14 against Full Members since March of this year.
They were also beaten 3-2 in an ODI series against Afghanistan, while the same side thrashed them by an innings and 172 runs in a first-class match.
But Cricket Ireland performance director Richard Holdsworth defended Bracewell in his tenure as the country’s head coach.
Holdsworth said:“The last two years have been a difficult period of transition and rebuilding in which John has tried to nurture inexperienced talent against the best teams in the world.
“His remaining five months will remain a very important period where I look forward to working with him to further invest in our key priority areas with new full member status now in place, and continue to lay down important foundations for our future.”