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In an interesting turnaround, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) appoints former Pakistan National Cricket Team’s Fielding Coach, Shane McDermott, as the new Assistant and Fielding Coach of the Afghanistan National Team, ahead of Afghanistan's upcoming five-match ODI series against Ireland.
ACB, in an official press release across its official platforms, informs about the appointment. Shane McDermott is expected to join the team on August 1. Afghanistan cricket team’s tour of Ireland will be his first assignment under the newly signed contract.
ACB Appoints Shane McDermott as National Team’s New Assistant Coach
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) July 29, 2026
Kabul - July 29, 2026: The Afghanistan Cricket Board officially confirms the appointment of Shane McDermott as the new Assistant and Fielding Coach of the Afghanistan National Team. McDermott is scheduled to… pic.twitter.com/3St8zlV3J6
Shane McDermott resigned from the Pakistan cricket team only eleven days ago
The appointment of Shane McDermott comes after he left the Pakistan cricket team only eighteen days ago. He resigned from the position as the team’s fielding coach on July 18, and ACB’s official announcement arrived on July 30.
In most of the cases, national cricket boards take an extensive amount of time to announce the new arrivals in their coaching set-up; ACB’s move appears to be more swift and a result of a well-thought-out process.
Shane McDermott's international coaching career in a brief
Shane McDermott will join the team with years of experience in managing multiple national cricket teams, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. He was previously associated with the Afghanistan cricket team as well.
In the official press release, the Afghanistan Cricket Board mentioned that the 45-year-old had worked for them previously from January 2024 to July 2025. And for the Pakistan National Cricket Team, his stint was from July 2025 to July 2026.
He gained vast knowledge in Asian cricket through his duties with the Bangladesh cricket team and the Sri Lankan Senior Men’s team. From 2019 to 2021, the former Australian cricketer worked for Sri Lanka Cricket as their senior cricket team’s Fielding Coach and the head coach of the Sri Lanka A cricket team.
McDermott worked closely with the Australian National Cricket Team as well when he was the Interim National Team Assistant and Fielding Coach of the National A Team Analyst and Cricket Australia's National Cricket Centre, respectively, from 2012 to 2019.
During his roles with the national cricket sides, he left his contributions during major ICC tournaments like the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup in 2022 and 2021.
Afghanistan will fly to Ireland for a 5-match ODI series with a new captain
Afghanistan’s first team match during their series against Ireland will be on August 5 for an ODI series. Rahmat Shah has been named as the captain in the format for the first time in his career. The series will mark his first outing as the full-time captain of the national cricket side.
The first two matches of the 5-match contest will be held on August 5 and 7 in Bready before shifting their bases to Belfast for the remaining three games. The third, fourth, and fifth matches will be held on August 10, 12, and 15, respectively.
The series will be crucial for the Afghanistan cricket team, as they will have to play with a new captain and a new fielding coach.
