Graham Ford moves to Ireland after Lankan debacle
View(s):
Graham Ford (R) left Sri Lanka with a broken heart, but he has now found a Test side with a good working background - File pic
After ending his second stint with Sri Lanka Cricket prematurely, Coach Graham Ford has joined ranks with Ireland to lead them into the brave new world of Test cricket. Ford will take up a three-year stint in December replacing John Bracewell who is ending his term with the Ireland national team.
Ford was contracted as head coach for 45 months in January 2016 by Sri Lanka Cricket to lead the national team in transition to the next level but left just 15 months into his contract.
Neither Ford nor SLC has publicly explained the reasons for the former’s resignation but it was understood to have been over differences he had with Cricket Manager Asanka Gurusinha. Ford told the Sunday Times he was devastated at the circumstances which led to his resignation.
“I was devastated when things did not work out for me at SLC,” he responded to the Sunday Times from South Africa. He refused to elaborate. “Although many people do it, I have never felt it ethical to address matters, concerns and differences through the media,” he explained.
The former South African cricketer resigned soon after Sri Lanka returned from the Champions Trophy in England after failing to reach the semi-finals.
Following his contract with the Irish, Ford told media: “I’m excited to be a part of this new era in Irish cricket. I’ve always enjoyed working with decent people and, in their attitude, character, and camaraderie, the Irish cricketers come across as just that. With my knowledge and experience, I believe I can genuinely make a difference.”
With a heavily politicized system and the team’s performance plummeting to an abysmal level, Sri Lanka Cricket is yet to attract a decent coach to replace Ford. Under Nic Pothas, who took over as head coach in the interim, Sri Lanka became the first-country ever to get whitewashed across all three formats at home.
India beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in Tests, 5-0 in ODIs and 1-0 in the one-off T20I. Sri Lanka also conceded their first-ever ODI series defeat to Zimbabwe at home (3-2).
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has appointed Rob Chave, the Strength and Conditioning Coach at Sussex County, as new Physical Preparation Manager. He is expected to take up the appointment on September 17 and will be based at the Khettarama Max Academy in preparing cricketers for national assignments.
A graduate of the Sport and Exercise Science Masters programme at Portsmouth University and with a background in tennis, Rob joined Sussex in October 2015.