Ed Joyce has been appointed as the interim head coach of Ireland Women following the departure of Aaron Hamilton.

Joyce, who won 151 caps for Ireland including one for his country’s maiden Test match in May 2018, also holds the records for the highest individual score (231 against United Arab Emirates in 2015) for the Men in Green.

But, after announcing his international retirement in May 2018, he is now charged with seeing the women’s team through to their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in August/September.

Following the announcement he said, “I’m excited by the talent and potential of this young squad – there were some extremely encouraging performances from several players during the West Indies series (a 2-1 home defeat) and this bodes well leading into potentially more important games later in the summer.”

The former Sussex batsman is eager to build on the work done by his predecessor Hamilton, who has left the role after four years in charge and will return home to Australia.

Joyce said, “It’s a great opportunity for me to further my journey in coaching, albeit on an interim basis until the end of the T20 World Cup qualifier.”

“I have been coaching some of the top order batters on a one-on-one basis, as well as joining (in) squad sessions in the lead-up to the West Indies series. I enjoyed working with Aaron during the last few months and wish him and his family well with the next step.”

For Richard Holdsworth, Performance Director for Cricket Ireland, it was a straightforward decision in appointing Hamilton’s replacement.

“Ed needs no introduction to Irish fans, and he has been working hard behind-the-scenes on coaching within the Cricket Ireland senior structure since May last year,” Holdsworth said.

“When the need for an interim Head Coach arose, it was great to have such a world-class cricketer and budding international coach available to call upon, and we had no hesitation in approaching him about the opportunity.”