KABUL(SW): Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, has been roped in as the Afghanistan coach for a two-year period.
Inzamam had earlier accepted a 25-day role to coach Afghanistan on their tour of Zimbabwe, where they created history by winning both the One-Day International and Twenty20 International series.
Kabir Khan, the former coach of Afghanistan who is a national selector in Pakistan, said Inzamam has agreed to sign a two-year contract with the Afghanistan Cricket Board. “I spoke to Inzamam and he has accepted a two-year contract with the Afghanistan team which will do them a lot of good,” Kabir told Press Trust of India.
Kabir said Inzamam had enjoyed his experience as batting coach in Zimbabwe. “Inzamam is satisfied with what he saw in Zimbabwe and believes that the Afghanistan team has good cricket talent and can move ahead,” added Kabir.
Kabir said Afghanistan had always had aggressive bowlers and fielders but they needed to improve their batting and Inzamam, who played 120 Tests and 388 ODIs for Pakistan, was an ideal choice.
“Inzamam is a cricket great and he can do a lot to improve their batting standards. And his caliber and stature is such he will remain above any petty politics which have hurt Afghanistan cricket.”
Most of the Afghanistan players burst on to the international stage in 2009, graduating from Division Five to Division One in the International Cricket Council program.
Since then they have featured in three World Twenty20 tournaments, and earlier this year made their maiden appearance in the 2015 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand. They also won a silver medal in the 2010 Asian Games in China.
However they hit a roadblock in August this year, when the ACB decided not to extend Andy Moles’ one-year tenure, admitting communication between Moles and the team had been a challenge.
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