31 year old Marshall made the last of his 66 One Day International appearances during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, ironically against Ireland in Guyana.
In addition, he has played 13 Test matches scoring 652 runs at an average of 38.35, making centuries against both Australia and Sri Lanka.
Marshall is an Irish passport holder and would be eligible to represent Ireland from April 2011, subject to approval from the International Cricket Council.
Cricket Ireland coach Phil Simmons welcomed the news saying: “It would be a great boost for Irish cricket to have a player of the calibre of Hamish Marshall available. We would intend to make use of his talent not just on the field, but within all our coaching structures. It’s our plan to have Hamish involved with our youth, women’s and elite squads, and that can only be good for Irish cricket.”
Hamish Marshall himself explained the reason for the move: “I certainly love playing county cricket with Gloucestershire, and plan to do so for some time yet. However I miss international cricket, and being an Irish passport holder, there’s hopefully an opportunity to combine both with Ireland. There’s the added attraction of getting involved on the coaching side of things which is important as I look to my future.”
Justin Vaughan, Chief Executive of New Zealand Cricket, said: “I and New Zealand cricket wish Hamish all the best in his cricketing career, and his return to international cricket with Ireland when his stand down period expires. Hamish has made a significant contribution to New Zealand cricket over many years , and we look forward to him contributing to cricket here in the future.”
Marshall has played a total of 138 first class matches, scoring a total of 7825 runs at an average of 35.89, including 18 centuries.
He is of course a team mate at Gloucestershire of current Ireland captain William Porterfield, which will help him settle into the Irish cricket scene over the next year.
