The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced the extension of Jonathan Trott’s tenure as head coach until the end of 2025. The decision comes after a successful two-and-a-half-year stint, during which the former England international significantly contributed to the team’s development and achievements.
Trott’s impact has been most evident in Afghanistan’s performances in major ICC tournaments. Under his guidance, the team delivered remarkable results at the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, finishing sixth with historic wins against England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands. Building on that momentum, Afghanistan reached new heights in the 2024 T20 World Cup, defeating powerhouse teams like Australia, Bangladesh, and New Zealand to secure their first-ever semi-final appearance.
“The decision comes in after his successful 2.5-year tenure, during which he made significant contributions to the team’s progress and development,” the ACB said in a statement.
Afghanistan is currently on a multi-format tour of Zimbabwe. Trott will lead the team during the ODI series but will be unavailable for the T20I and Test matches due to personal commitments. In his absence, Hamid Hassan will step in as head coach, with Nawroz Mangal serving as the assistant coach.
“Jonathan Trott will accompany the squad only in ODIs, whereas he will remain unavailable for the T20Is and Test matches due to his personal commitments. Hamid Hassan will step up and take on the role of Head Coach in Trott’s absence,” the statement added.
T20I Squad: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Ishaq, Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq.
ODI Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil, Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran, Farid Ahmad Malik.