Houghton joins Ireland coaching team for Zimbabwe tour

Former Zimbabwe captain and current Middlesex batting coach Dave Houghton will join Ireland as a batting consultant for their upcoming tour of Zimbabwe.

Houghton, who played 22 Tests, has a coaching career spanning 20 years. He had a short stint as coach of Ireland during the 1994 ICC Trophy in Kenya, before going on to coach Worcestershire and Derbyshire. He was also assistant coach at Somerset.

"What a great opportunity it is to have the likes of Dave Houghton with us for the Zimbabwe leg of the tour," said Ireland head coach John Bracewell. "His experience as a coach and knowledge of Zimbabwe is a real bonus to the group.

"I have played and coached against Dave for over 30 years and have always admired his manner and temperament in and around cricket. He has always been generous with his time and knowledge and I believe he will be invaluable to all skill-sets on tour."

Expressing delight at being offered the role Houghton said, "This is a very exciting time to be involved with Irish cricket, as they sit on the cusp of achieving their ambition of entering the Test arena. I hope that my knowledge and energy will be of great benefit to them."

Ireland will play three ODIs against Zimbabwe on October 9, 11 and 13 before playing a four-day fixture against Zimbabwe A starting on October 17.