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Cricket Ireland have appointed former England batter Jonathan Trott in a short-term consultancy role for 14 days ahead of the ODI series against Afghanistan. This is a Trott joins any role of coaching for the first time since leaving the Afghanistan National Cricket Team head coach role after the T20 World Cup 2026.
Trott was a member of the England Under-19 Men's coaching team during the 2017 ICC Under-19 World Cup, as well as an assistant coach at Warwickshire, and has previously worked in coaching positions with Kent and Scotland.
Jonathan Trott to start in a new role for Ireland
Jonathan Trott's 14-day consultation duty will include assisting the Ireland Men's side in their preparations for the series and advising on matchdays for the Afghanistan Men's series' first and second ODIs in Ireland next month.
Jonathan Trott was the head coach of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team from 2022, and under his tenure, the team experienced a highly successful era, including a historic semi-final finish in the 2024 T20 World Cup and also played amazing cricket in the ODI World Cup 2023.
"One-Day International series against Afghanistan is critical"- Graeme West on series vs Afghanistan
The board director Graeme West stated that Jonathan Trott is ideally placed to strengthen Ireland's planning for the series by offering players and support staff a new and better perspective to enhance their skills, knowledge, and understanding of 50-over cricket, and it will also help the Irish side to get a better understanding, having Jonathan Trott worked with the Afghanistan side.
Graeme West, Director of High Performance at Cricket Ireland, said: “The upcoming One-Day International series against Afghanistan is critical to Ireland Men’s squads preparations for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in early 2027. This is a rare opportunity to bring a world-class coach into the senior team environment offering a wealth of current knowledge on the opposition.
“Having worked with the Afghanistan squad, Jonathan is perfectly placed to support our strategic planning for the series, providing our players and staff with a new perspective – expanding their skills, knowledge and understanding of 50-over cricket.
“Jonathan’s value extends beyond player development; once he enters the training camp he will be able to share his wide range of leadership experiences with the coaching staff, outlining his philosophy working with world-class players and his methodology in managing an International team.”
Ireland recently did amazingly against the India National Cricket Team as they clean swept the T20 World Cup champions for the first time and also won the first series against the Men in Blue side. They completely outplayed them in the recent T20I series and will look to do something similar against the Afghans.
Ireland v Afghanistan Men’s ODI series Schedule:
- 5 August 2026: Ireland Men v Afghanistan Men – 1st ODI (Bready)
- 7 August 2026: Ireland Men v Afghanistan Men – 2nd ODI (Bready)
- 10 August 2026: Ireland Men v Afghanistan Men – 3rd ODI (Stormont)
- 12 August 2026: Ireland Men v Afghanistan Men – 4th ODI (Stormont)
- 15 August 2026: Ireland Men v Afghanistan Men – 5th ODI (Stormont)
