Cricket Ireland will begin the search for a new chief executive for the first time in almost two decades after it was confirmed on Thursday that Warren Deutrom is to step down from the role at the end of August.
Deutrom was appointed in September 2006 after previously working for the International Cricket Council (ICC) and England and Wales Cricket Board.
The highs of Ireland’s World Cup campaign in the Caribbean came early in his reign, as did the fallout when players imposed a ban on dealing with the media over the delay in receiving their bonuses from playing in the tournament.
Under Deutrom’s leadership Cricket Ireland would go on to introduce professional contracts for both the men’s and women’s international squads, while he highlighted Ireland’s ascension to full member status of the ICC and gaining Test status in 2017 as his biggest achievements in the role.
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“It’s hard to explain my feelings since making this decision,” said Deutrom after Wednesday’s Cricket Ireland board meeting, where he made his announcement. “The role of Cricket Ireland CEO has covered more than a third of my life and two-thirds of my professional career. It has felt more like a vocation and a true labour of love than a mere job.
“The attainment of ICC full membership and Test status is the most significant achievement I’ll look back on with pride – indeed, if the first decade of my role was about trying to achieve ICC full membership/Test status, the next decade has been about trying to live up to that privilege.
“Today, with new ICC funding, with permanent infrastructure planned, a World Cup to co-host, a central contracts system for both men and women, and the European T20 Premier League on the horizon, I’m more confident than ever that the foundations are there to realise that new vision, so it’s the right time for me to hand over the baton.”
