Andrew Balbirnie steps down as Ireland white-ball captain

Paul Stirling will replace him on an interim basis, initially until the end of the ODI series against England in September

Andrew Balbirnie has stepped down as Ireland's white-ball captain.

His decision comes after his side failed to reach the 50-over World Cup, with Paul Stirling set to replace him on an interim basis until the end of the ODI series against England in September.

Balbirnie, 32, has led his country 89 times across formats (four Tests, 33 ODIs, 52 T20Is) since taking over in late 2019, with navigating the Covid pandemic among his first jobs in charge. He informed his teammates of his decision shortly after Ireland beat Oman in Zimbabwe in their final match of an ultimately unsuccessful World Cup qualifier.

"It has been one of my great honours to lead this team over the last few years," said Balbirnie, "and I am hugely grateful for all the support I received on and off the pitch from the many players, coaches, Cricket Ireland and supporters of the Ireland team.

"I feel this is the right time for me, but more importantly the team. I will continue to do my best for this team and work hard to contribute towards what I hope will be a successful period over the next number of years."

Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan called it "a poignant day", praising Balbirnie as an "exceptionally dedicated captain" who masterminded wins at last year's T20 World Cup over Scotland, West Indies and England.

^{Paul Stirling is set to take over from Balbirnie in the interim (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)}

"I know this was not a decision he took lightly, but one that he considered was best for the team," he said.

Cricket Ireland high-performance director Richard Holdsworth added his gratitude to Balbirnie for his work through the pandemic and alongside three different coaches in Malan, David Ripley and first Graham Ford.

"It was the Covid years when he really displayed his ability to galvanise his players and keep them focussed on the job at hand, and for that, we are thankful to him for his unstinting commitment," he said.

"In terms of recent events, we all feel the disappointment of the qualifier campaign in Zimbabwe, and there is a collective responsibility that we all bear – players, coaches and administrators – which will be looked at as part of the post-event review that will be undertaken.

"Given the proximity of the T20 World Cup European qualifier, we obviously respect the need to re-focus the players on the new campaign, so we will complete the review after the upcoming tournament with further updates to be made in due course."

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