Kiwi John Bracewell tasked with leading Irish Cricket to the next level

Cricket Ireland will appoint New Zealander John Bracewell as their new head coach in the next few days. He will replace Trinidadian Phil Simmons, who left in March to become head coach of the West Indies.

Cricket Ireland opted for Bracewell ahead of former South Africa all-rounder and current Hampshire coach Dale Benkenstein, in part because of the 57-year-old’s greater international experience as both a player and a coach.

Bracewell played 41 Test matches and 53 one-day internationals for New Zealand in a 10-year playing career between 1980 and 1990, and coached the Black Caps between 2003 and 2008.