Heinrich Malan, the head coach of Ireland’s cricketing lemons, is a passionate advocate for an expanded World Test Championship. He’s looking forward, he says, to giving his side increased opportunities for continuous red-ball cricket. Malan stressed that a two-tier structure with promotion and relegation would go a long way to solving Ireland’s ongoing struggle to find Test matches. He sees this system as a worthwhile step creating a more level playing field for ICC associate members to join the competitive landscape.
Under Malan’s captaincy, Ireland have only had ten Test matches since being awarded Test status in 2017. When we get to April 2023, if they got three wins and seven defeats under their belt. The team have their sights set on two Test matches away in Bangladesh. They’ll be up against it in three T20 matches, which are a very important avenue of development, although they’ll be without PJ Moor, who retired after their last Test against Zimbabwe in February.
Malan stressed the need for a regular, established calendar of Test cricket. He stated, “We’ve played a fair few one-off Test matches and hopefully as we move forward here, we can keep seeing two Test matches taking place as a minimum.” While recognizing the logistical obstacles in play, he reiterated the team’s focus on achieving more red-ball cricket.
Then the head coach took a moment to laud Cade Carmichael’s impressive bona fides. He opened up about the young player’s consistent performance, dedication and growth this season. “His thirst for runs, the way he’s gone about his work throughout the summer, backing it up, has obviously paid dividends,” Malan remarked. Carmichael’s consistent scoring ability has earned him a spot in the upcoming series against the West Indies, demonstrating his readiness for the challenge ahead.
Despite the challenging environment Malan is hopeful for the future of Test cricket in Ireland. He believes that the proposed promotion-relegation system would provide essential context to matches and ultimately expand the volume of cricket played. “The fact that there’s the promotion-relegation piece will really give it some context and so very much in favour of, in general, the more cricketing piece and more Test cricket,” he stated.
Though subject to a hectic white-ball programme, Malan very much welcomed both Tests in Bangladesh surviving the cull. He understands the importance of Test match cricket, both its intrinsic worth and what it represents for Ireland’s blossoming story as a cricketing nation. We have self-evidently placed a great value on Test match cricket. That we don’t play it as much makes that a little more acute too,” he said.
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