Malan a 'breath of fresh air' for Ireland cricketers

Wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker says head coach Heinrich Malan has been a '"breath of fresh air'" for an Ireland team on the rise.

The team held their first training session in Melbourne today ahead of the T20 World Cup next month with first round games against Zimbabwe, Scotland and West Indies.

Tucker, who made his T20I debut in 2016, has praised the impact of Malan since he succeeded Graham Ford in March this year.

"Heinrich [Malan] has been a breath of fresh air," the 26-year-old said.

"He's challenged us to think differently and to apply different methods to achieve the desired results. It's no coincidence that the team is in such a strong mental state going into this tournament.

"On a personal level, he's always trying to get the best out of every individual and I've felt a renewed sense of self-confidence in the last few months."

Despite close matches against India and New Zealand, Ireland finally scored a morale-boosting series win over Afghanistan in August, something Tucker says should stand to the team.

"We've had some great battles against Afghanistan, but I think this one was especially significant given the format," he said.

"T20 cricket has not always been our strength and the stats will probably tell you that we've lost quite a number of T20Is against the Afghans. To turn the past on its head and get a series win just before a World Cup was pretty inspiring, and gave us great motivation for this coming month."

Ireland will face Namibia in two warm-up games, starting tomorrow, and Tucker feels s last year’s first round exit will be a motivating factor when the tournament begins.

"Last year was bitterly disappointing, but the great thing about international cricket is that there is always an opportunity to turn things