Ireland coach Malan steps down hours after shock T20 series win over India

[p]The South African, appointed in 2022, oversaw a period in ‌which [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ireland/GEmG3lXa/"]Ireland[/a] qualified for three consecutive T20 World ‌Cups, secured their first three test match victories, and claimed ‌their first-ever series win against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/india/fcOzl2uI/"]India[/a].[/p][p]Few gave Ireland ‌a chance in the two-match series, but they humbled India twice in three days, spoiling Shreyas Iyer's debut series as ‌India's 20-overs captain. It was India's ⁠first T20 series defeat ‌since 2023.[/p][p]The 45-year-old's current contract extends into early 2027, but ​Cricket Ireland said in a statement: [b]"He (Malan) believes the timing is right in the cycle to ​step back following the just-concluded successful T20 series versus India."[/b][/p][p]Malan will be replaced by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wilson-gary/ITB2qa2n/"]Gary Wilson[/a], who ⁠represented Ireland 292 times ​as a player between 2005 and 2020. Wilson joined Ireland's coaching setup as assistant coach in 2022, and becomes the first Irish-born head coach in over 30 ‌years, following John Wills in the early 1990s.[/p][embed guid="5582d63b-dc2c-4cd5-87ce-5b1b9335bce1" url="https://x.com/cricketireland/status/2071299994984796311" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"It has been an absolute privilege to work with these players, staff and the wider Irish cricket community,"[/b] Malan said in a statement.[/p][p][b]"On the field, we can look back with great pride,"[/b] he added, pointing to a T20 World Cup victory against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/UJC5mtAU/"]England[/a], Ireland's first-ever Test victory against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/afghanistan/fPvTErSo/"]Afghanistan[/a] and a first home Test ‌win vs [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/zimbabwe/pCUnmKBm/"]Zimbabwe[/a] among the highlights.[/p][p]Malan will work ​alongside Wilson over the coming month to ensure ‌a smooth transition as Ireland prepare for a one-day international series against Afghanistan in August.[/p][p]Cricket Ireland also said that the transition will allow Wilson to use the upcoming ODI series as part of ⁠the preparations towards the ⁠World Cup qualifiers ‌early in 2027.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/cricket/india-fcOzl2uI/ireland-GEmG3lXa/?mid=8fGotyET"]Review Ireland's series win over India on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]