Afghanistan Cricket Board Is Looking For A New Head Coach After Graham Thorpe's Illness

The Afghanistan Cricket Board is looking for a successor for head coach Graham Thorpe, who is still gravely ill and is unlikely to return to work in the near future. ACB has begun a hiring process, and it is expected that the squad will have a new head coach for the following season.

In his absence, Afghanistan has been led by local coach Raees Khan Ahmadzai on an interim basis. Thorpe, who joined the team in March of this year, was meant to join in the last week of April but was unable to do so.

Meanwhile, ACB has hired former West Indies fielding coach Ryan Maron as their national fielding coach for six months, with the possibility of an extension based on performance. After brief stints with the Afghan team in 2015 and 2017, he has returned to take up the position.

He is 47 years old and was the former Western Province opening batsman, appearing in 18 first-class matches. He formerly worked for the Dolphins in South African domestic cricket as a fielding coach.

Afghanistan Has A Busy Schedule Ahead

Afghanistan has hired two people in the last two months. Umar Gul, a Pakistani fast bowler, has been hired as their bowling coach till December 2022. In Thorpe’s absence, Afghanistan won three ODIs and three T20Is against Zimbabwe, with Ahmadzai acting as head coach and former captain Nawroz Khan Mangal operating as batting coach.

The team will travel to Ireland for five Twenty20 Internationals in the first week of August. The tour was originally scheduled to include one Test and three ODIs, but the schedule has since been modified to accommodate the T20 World Cup, which will be staged in Australia this October.

The team will also compete in the Asia Cup in Colombo and the T20 World Cup this year. There is also a three-match One-Day International series against Pakistan that will most likely be played at a neutral location, as Afghanistan is currently unviable as a destination for international cricket tours.

Also Read: India Set To Tour Zimbabwe For A 3-match ODI Series In August