The Board of Cricket Ireland has called for the regular post-event review of the Men’s T20 World Cup to happen ‘as soon as possible’ following the disappointing exit and failure to make the Super 12 Round.

“There was of course disappointment at the timing and nature of the World Cup exit last Friday,” said Chair Ross McCollum after a planned Board Meeting.

“Whilst there were no doubts expressed about the attitude, commitment and hard work of players, coaching staff and administrators, the Board has directed that the normal planned post-event review should happen as quickly as possible and includes all elements pertaining to tournament preparation and performance – such as event performance and cricket operations supporting the international set-up – and, where appropriate, take any remedial action.”

“It is important to stress that this is not a kneejerk reaction to the T20 World Cup outcome, particularly in light of encouraging results against some major teams in the last two years alone. Post-event reviews are part-and-parcel of our modus operandi now, added to which one of the key elements of our current short strategy period is about ensuring we are getting the most out of our limited resources, that we’re balancing the needs of our business at all levels, and we’re building the future on solid foundations.”

“What happened last week, though, has given us the pretext to step back at this point in time to ask serious questions of our operations ahead of a very busy few years.”

“The Board recognises that our regular treadmill of events, qualifiers and FTP commitments means that there is rarely an obvious time to do in-depth reviews, let alone implement them quickly enough to have an immediate impact. However, with the next round of World Cup Super League matches coming up in January, and the qualifying tournament for the next Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled for February, we believe that the review should be conducted swiftly without compromising rigour.”

“To that end, we have directed that the review will at least include an investigation into team preparation and performance, the facilities at the disposal of the national team, the selection policies and procedures, as well as the coaching and administrative structures currently in place.

“The Board has always been very supportive of the men’s senior international squad and has often prioritised their resources to support their progression. However, the review will look into how effectively and efficiently those resources are being used, as well as ensuring Cricket Ireland has in place – or will put into place – the appropriate structural and support programmes to enable our international teams to succeed on the world stage over coming years.”

“This is a similar review that was conducted after the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2018 which brought about significant improvements to the Women’s performance system, and we are looking to ensure a similar level of scrutiny is applied during this review.”

“Without pre-empting recommendations, the Board were unanimously insistent that the quality and provision of training and playing facilities across Ireland be elevated to a critical priority for the organisation. We have directed that all effort be made to engage with potential and current funding partners on sourcing investment to upgrade and enhance our international training and playing surfaces – which will be to the benefit all programmes, including women’s and under-age pathways.”

 

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