Richard Holdsworth has announced he is to step back from his role as Director of Cricket with Cricket Ireland, bringing to a close a 14-year period in which he played a central role in reshaping the sport’s elite structures and international standing.
Holdsworth joined the organisation in 2011 and served as High Performance Director for more than 13 years before moving into his current position last year.
During that time, he became a key architect of Irish cricket’s modern high-performance system, overseeing sustained growth across both the men’s and women’s games.
He was instrumental in the professionalisation of Ireland’s elite programmes, including the design and rollout of central player contracts across men’s and women’s squads. That work helped provide greater stability, clarity and support for players operating at the highest level, while also strengthening the pathways feeding into senior international teams.
On the international stage, Holdsworth played a key role in Ireland’s transition from an ambitious Associate Member to a Full Member of the International Cricket Council in 2017, a development that fundamentally altered the country’s place within world cricket. Domestically, he supported the reintroduction and enhancement of major competitions, such as the men’s Inter-Provincial Series and the women’s Super Series, helping to improve depth, competitiveness, and alignment with international requirements.
During his tenure, Ireland’s national teams continued to establish themselves on the global stage. The Ireland Men’s team now competes regularly in all three international formats, holding Test status since 2017 and currently ranked 10th in Tests, 12th in One Day Internationals and 11th in T20 Internationals. The Ireland Women’s team is also firmly established among the leading nations, sitting around the top 10 globally in both ODI (10th) and T20I (9th) rankings.
Although stepping back from his day-to-day role, Holdsworth has agreed to provide periodic support during a transition phase as the organisation prepares to welcome incoming chief executive Sarah Keane.
Interim CEO Ross McCollum paid tribute to Holdsworth’s contribution, highlighting the scale of change delivered during a period of rapid evolution. He said Holdsworth led the transformation of high-performance structures, played a central role in developing talent pathways, academy systems, and coach education, and was deeply involved in the planning and delivery of the first phase of the High Performance Centre at the Sport Ireland Campus.
That facility, McCollum said, provided Irish elite cricketers with a training environment that compared favourably with leading nations and reflected a long-term commitment to excellence.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved together working with a team of outstanding staff,” said Holdsworth.
“From our collective efforts to professionalise structures and support players at the highest level, to seeing Ireland compete with distinction on the global stage — it has been a privilege to be part of this journey. Cricket Ireland will soon welcome a new Chief Executive Officer, further marking a transition to the next phase of the organisation’s strategic growth and ambition, and I wish Sarah and the team continued growth and success.”
Image Credit: Cricket Ireland
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