Nigel Jones appointed national selector of Ireland

Image Credits: ICC official website

Former Irish international Nigel Jones is all set to replace Albert van der Merwe as the selector of the national men's cricket team, Cricket Ireland has confirmed. 

The 37-year-old will join the Ireland selection panel, which is chaired by Andrew White and comprise of Ian McGregor, Simon Johnston and Graham Ford.

Ecstatic with his appointment in the national selection panel, Jones said that he is looking forward to play his role in supporting, challenging and promoting the side's current and next crop of players.

“I am honoured to be asked to come onto the National Selection Panel and I'm looking forward to playing my part in supporting, challenging and promoting our current and next crop of players in discussions round the selection table,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Jones as saying. 

“It’s an exciting period at the moment, and I believe that we are now starting to see the benefits of the transition period we have been going through, with the likes of Lorcan Tucker, Josh Little, Harry Tector, Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, James McCollum and David Delany all showcasing their promise over the past 12 months or so with either match contributing and or winning performances for Ireland," he added. 

Jones further lauded the current Ireland squad, saying that it is a perfect mix of experienced and youth players who have started bringing results for the national side.  

“However, these younger players wouldn't have been able to flourish without the experienced backbone of the squad which is where a majority of our consistent performers are still positioned.  The overall mix of experience and youth I believe is starting to bear fruit in our performances and hopefully, this will continue to develop over the next 12-18 months as we look to provide further opportunities for our players," he concluded. 

Jones has featured in a total of 14 ODIs and five T20Is from Ireland between 2010 and 2012. Last year, he was named as the head coach of Leinster Lightning, the provincial cricket team of Ireland.