On Thursday, former Ireland captain William Porterfield announced his retirement from international and representative cricket (June 16). Porterfield concluded his career as Ireland’s third most capped player and second greatest run-getter.
Porterfield took up the captaincy from Trent Johnston in 2008 and went on to lead his team 253 times, the most in Ireland’s history by a long shot. The 37-year-old also led Ireland to their first-ever Test victory against Pakistan in 2018.
After 11 years as captain, the left-hander stood down in November 2019, turning over the reins to Andrew Balbirnie. Porterfield, who has a low T20 record, hasn’t played for Ireland in almost four years, but he has led from the front numerous times in the 50-over format. He went on to achieve 11 ODI hundreds in 148 appearances, including one against Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup.
The veteran, who previously played for Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, said that he has been offered a position as a consultant coach for his former club. “I’ve been given the opportunity to join Gloucestershire as a Consultant Coach until the conclusion of the season,” he explained. “It’s a decision I’ve been thinking about for a week or so – and I’d want to thank Cricket Ireland for allowing me to get up and running in the role in the meantime.”
“During my career, we’ve gone from an amateur team right through to now being a Test nation. From those before me, and along my journey, we have hopefully built an infrastructure that will allow the game in Ireland to continue to flourish. All I ever wanted to do was leave the shirt in a better place and leave the team in a better place, and hopefully, I’ve played a part in doing that,” William said.
Follow MadOverCricket for the latest cricket news, cricket match updates, live cricket scores, cricket series updates, and more!
