CRICKET IRELAND HAVE appointed Englishman Graeme West as the union’s new director of high performance.

West, who is currently working as high performance manager with Cricket West Indies, will join the Irish set-up next month.

His coaching career CV includes five years as academy director at Middlesex, where he oversaw the development of Irish stars Andrew and Stuart Poynter, Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie, before moving on to his 12-year stint with the West Indies.

Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom said that “the profile, initiative and experience that Graeme possesses is exactly what we were looking for. 

“We knew that in order to be successful in this new role, the candidate required leadership experience, exceptional people skills and the ability to be a mentor as much as a manager. In Graeme, we believe we have found that candidate.”