Chief Executive Warren Deutrom said: "The initial recommendation, made last year following an indepth review into ICU governance structures by external consultants, was that a change of name should take place as part of a rebranding exercise to highlight the changes taking place behind the scenes in Irish Cricket."
"This name style is consistent with the change made by other cricket boards around the world and this new streamlined identity reflects what we hope is a more dynamic and professional approach to running the sport in Ireland."
The Board also confirmed that Belfast and Dublin would be the respective hosts of the ODI matches to be played against England in 2009 and 2011. The Board will consider the venue for the 2013 fixture at a future meeting.
Deutrom said: "A huge amount of work goes into organising matches of this scale, and it is important to provide certainty to the respective hosts to proceed with their planning. It was determined that the venue in Stormont, as currently our largest capacity cricket venue, provides the best opportunity for the largest number of Irish fans to watch the match. By 2011, it is expected that the new cricket venue due to be constructed in Dublin will have come to fruition, and will be an excellent host for this prestigious match."
The Board confirmed the Chairmen of the both the new Finance and Cricket Committees and they are Richard Johnson and Joe Doherty respectively. David Williams, Chairman of Cricket Ireland, said: "I am delighted to confirm the appointment of Joe Doherty and Richard Johnson as the Chairmen of the Cricket and Finance sub-committees respectively. At a time of significant change, Cricket Ireland is very fortunate to have two very able and experienced people to lead these two vital roles in Irish cricket. As we are in the process of significant change we will be taking the opportunity of reviewing the scope and operation of these committees going forward."
The Board also tasked the Cricket Committee with undertaking a major review of development structures, and recreational and youth elite cricket during the coming season. The review comes from a series of recommendations made by the consultants who worked with ICU on its High Performance activities in 2007 and will include a review of recreational cricket structures, player pathways to elite level, youth elite competition, talent identification, women's cricket and coach education. The Board also specified that the review should be completed in time for recommendations to be implemented in time for 2009.
Deutrom said: "It is vital that we don't stand still after our success last year, and that we look to keep on improving at all levels. At youth international level, we are enormously successful at European level but as we have seen with the recent U19 World Cup, success isn't always guaranteed when we take the step up to compete with the global elite."
"There has also been some comment about whether there is too big a step up from club to country in Ireland and whether there should be a middle tier, such as inter-provincial cricket. We want the Committee to look into all of these activities, and maybe even look into securing external help to facilitate the process."
The Cricket Ireland Board is comprised of: David Williams (Chairman), Warren Deutrom (Chief Executive), Joe Doherty, Wylie Mc Kinty, Richard Johnson, Arthur Vincent, Matt Sheridan, James Doran, Jerry Liston, Dr. Mary Redmond, Brian Turtle and Allan Rutherford.
