Heinrich Malan has agreed a two-year contract extension that will take him up until mid-2027.

Malan, 43, was appointed Ireland Head Coach in January 2022, beginning work in March that year on an initial three-year contract. His extension will take him to mid-2027, at which time Ireland will know if they have qualified for the 2027 World Cup. That event - to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia - will be a key focus of Malan’s over the next three years.

“I am delighted with the extension as it provides the squad and coaching staff a great deal more certainty as we build upon the foundations we have put in place over the last two years," said Malan.

“We are now a three-format squad and - despite our smaller talent pool to draw from compared to other Full Members - we have been gradually building a sustainable structure that ensures we can continue to compete and improve on all three fronts.

“One area I have been keen on developing is our players being able to better read the game situation and then, where they judge it appropriate, to have the freedom and confidence to try and impose their style and natural instincts on the game. Some of our younger players are literally learning this ability on the job, which means there are days they will fail, but failure is a key part of the learning process. What we as coaches are looking for is evidence that those unsuccessful experiences are analysed and understood by the player and become part of the experience they can draw upon in future matches.

“This work has borne fruit in two successful T20 World Cup qualifying campaigns and in our recent Test success. But we are all conscious that we’ve missed out on playing in the last two 50-over world cups, and qualification for the 2027 tournament will be one of the focus areas across the next three years.”