Stuart Barnes appointed Ireland's assistant head coach
Nov 13, 2020
Dublin [Ireland], November 13 : Cricket Ireland on Thursday announced that Stuart Barnes has been appointed men's team assistant head coach and national bowling lead.
Barnes departs Somerset County Cricket Club and joins Head Coach Graham Ford in what may potentially be the busiest period ever for Ireland Men, given the bilateral fixtures to be played across three formats and the chance to compete in three World Cup events.
"It was a great experience to link up with Graham Ford and the Ireland team for the recent ODI series against England at the Ageas Bowl. I loved the challenge of the international game and adding value wherever I could. The opportunity to continue this on a full-time basis for the next three years is incredibly exciting and I'm delighted to now be part of the team," Barnes said in an official statement.
"My time at Somerset has been shorter than I expected but I'm honoured to have been part of creating a bit of history and I have incredible memories and friendships that I will take with me. I can't thank Andy Hurry, Jason Kerr, the coaching staff and the squad enough and I wish them all the very best moving forwards," he added.
An initial three-year contract has been awarded, which will see Barnes in place until the end of the current World Cup cycle.
The 50-year-old, who has coached Bangladesh, Surrey, and England Young Lions amongst others, was originally tasked with working with the Somerset Club's bowlers for the duration of the successful 2019 Royal London One-Day Cup campaign.
"We have been extremely impressed with Stuart's exceptional technical and tactical knowledge of bowling, outstanding communication skills and relentless work ethic, although this came as no surprise to us given his great experience and our own knowledge of him," said Richard Holdsworth, High-Performance Director for Cricket Ireland.
"Stuart worked with Graham Ford at Surrey CCC for 6 years. They work extremely well together and their skills complement each other, and I have no doubt their relationship will rekindle now both are working with our international team. I also worked with Stuart for 4 years as part of Gloucestershire's talent pathway, so know full well what he will bring to the table," he added.
