Stuart Barnes, Ireland's assistant coach and the national bowling lead, will step down from his position following the conclusion of the series against Zimbabwe, Cricket Ireland announced on Wednesday (August 25).Barnes, who first started as a bowling coach in August 2020 and later signed a three-year contract in November 2020, has decided to step down due to personal reasons. Ryan Eagleson will serve as the interim bowling coach during the ICC T20 World Cup later this year.
Eagleson, who represented Ireland 65 times between 1995-2004, has been part of different coaching set-ups. Eagleson is set to join the team soon after he finishes his commitments at the Under-19 World Cup qualifiers. "This interim appointment will now allow us to review our options around the senior coaching group, and we shall seek to appoint a full-time successor to Stuart after the T20 World Cup," said Richard Holdsworth, High-Performance Director for Cricket Ireland. Graham Ford, the Ireland head coach, added: "Our sincere thanks to Stuart for his dedication and contribution to Irish cricket, and we will be sorry to see him step down after the Zimbabwe series. We fully understand that the pandemic and personal circumstances have made it extremely difficult for his family, and wish Stuart and his family well for the future."
