Kim Garth, the highly qualified 24-year-old all-rounder, has signed a two-year contract with Cricket Victoria, which means that she is no longer available for jobs in Ireland.
About Kim Garth
Garth, who made her international debut in 2010, admitted that it was a difficult decision to leave her home country in 85 international colors after 85 games – a decision she made to make her ambition to become a full-time cricket player, to pursue.
“Although I accepted the offer, it wasn’t an easy decision,” said Garth. “Leaving family, friends and the entire Irish cricket community was a very difficult decision that I didn’t take lightly.
“However, my goal has always been to be a full-time professional cricket player and to play at the highest level. Such a chance doesn’t happen too often, so I’m very keen to take this opportunity.”
Garth, who has 1,210 runs and 65 wickets for Ireland, has extensive experience in Australia. She represented Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers in the WBBL and played cricket in Melbourne Club last season. As a representative of the Dandenong Cricket Club, she was crowned the most valuable player at the 2019-20 Premier Cricket Awards by Cricket Victoria.
Garth is looking forward to her future and hopes to be able to contribute to Irish cricket again in the future. “I will miss being part of the Irish squad and indeed all of the people I have worked with at Cricket Ireland. I am very grateful and aware of the opportunities that Cricket Ireland has offered me over the years. But I also learned a lot. I live and play cricket in Australia and hope that I can bring this experience home later and give something back in some way, “she said.
Ed Joyce, the former Irish male cricket player and now head coach of the women’s team, admitted that Garth’s departure is a difficult pill, but appreciates the ambition that led to this decision.
“Obviously this is a blow, there’s no way around it. Losing one of your leading players at any time is a challenge, but I can understand Kim’s decision making and she was pretty open about her ambitions,” he said.
