Misbah-ul-Haq Likely To Become Chief Coach Of Afghanistan Cricket Team

Former Pakistan skipper Misbah-Ul- Haq is likely to become the next head coach of the Afghanistan Cricket Team. He resigned as the head coach of the Pakistan Cricket team ahead of the T20 World Cup last year and since then has been looking for his next opportunity into cricket coaching. 

Pakistan reached the semi-final of the tournament losing out to an Australian team that proved too hot to handle on the night. They had an unbeaten run in the league stage only losing to Australia to exit the tournament. 

Misbah-Ul-Haq Stepped Down As Pakistan’s Head Coach Before T20 World Cup 2021

Meanwhile, along with Misbah, former Pakistan cricketer Azhar Mahmood is another potential candidate for the role. The Afghanis were coached by Lance Klausner, who did not renew his contract for another stint. He stepped down after the T20 World Cup last year. Under his tenure, Afghanistan won three Test matches, three out of six ODIs and nine out of 14 T20Is. 

Afghanistan will be playing a three-match ODI series against the Netherlands. Mohammed Nabi, the senior cricketer in the team has opted out of the series. The Afghanistan Cricket Board has announced an 18-member squad for a series with as many as four uncapped players. The uncapped players are namely Riaz Hassan, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Shahidullah Kama. 

Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib, and Najibullah Zadran have been included in the team. Also, Hashmatullah Shahidi has been given the responsibility to lead the squad in the series.

Besides, the ODI series is a part of the ICC World Cup Super League, points from which count towards qualification for the 2023 World Cup in India.

Afghanistan’s Squad For The ODI Series vs the Netherlands

Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Farid Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Ikram Alikhail, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Qais Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Rashid Khan, Riaz Hassan, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Shahidullah Kamal, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Usman Ghani, Yamin Ahmadzai

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