England's Jonathan Trott appointed as Afghanistan coach: Decoding his journey
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has appointed former England cricketer Jonathan Trott as the head coach of the men's cricket team. Trott, who has no prior experience in coaching a national team, replaces fellow countryman Graham Thorpe, who was initially tasked with the coaching responsibility. The 41-year-old's first assignment will be the upcoming tour of Ireland, starting August 9. Here are further details.
Why does this story matter?
Thorpe was initially roped in as Afghanistan's head coach in March 2022. However, he fell ill after two months, which forced a change of plans. Trott doesn't have experience in coaching in the international arena. However, he has had stints as a batting consultant for England. Lately, he worked as a consultant for Scotland during the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Here's what Trott said on his appointment
"I'm honored and excited to have the opportunity to take one of international cricket's most exciting teams through what is a huge year for their development as a team," Trott was quoted as saying in ACB's press release. The former cricketer added that Afghanistan is a breeding ground for talented cricketers, and he can't wait to start working with them.
A look at Trott's cricketing career
Trott had an illustrious run during his time in international cricket. He amassed 3,835 Test runs at 44.08. He clocked nine hundreds and 19 fifties. Most notably, Trott played an invaluable part in England's Ashes triumph in 2010-11. The right-hander had a highly successful career in ODIs, where he compiled 2,819 runs at 51.25. In T20Is, Trott scored 138 runs at 23.00.
Afghanistan outclass Zimbabwe despite clouds on Thorpe's availability
In spite of the uncertainty around Thorpe, Afghanistan managed to outfox Zimbabwe in both ODIs and T20Is by a 3-0 margin in the month of June. Raees Khan Ahmadzai took over the reins as Afghanistan's head coach on an interim basis. Former skipper Nawroz Mangal was the batting coach, while former Pakistan quick Umar Gul carried his duties as the bowling coach.
The road ahead for Afghanistan
Afghanistan will be touring Ireland for a five-match T20I series, which is set to commence on August 9. That will be followed by the 2022 Asia Cup slated to take place in UAE, and later, the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November. Not to forget, Afghanistan will also compete in a three-match ODI series against Pakistan at a neutral venue.
