The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Toby Radford as the new batting coach of the national team. Radford replaces Andrew Puttick and is expected to join the squad ahead of Afghanistan’s upcoming three-match T20I series against the West Indies.

Alongside Radford’s appointment, the ACB also named Robert Ahmun as the team’s new strength and conditioning trainer. Both Radford and Ahmun have been appointed on one-year contracts and will link up with the squad before Afghanistan’s final T20I series ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.

Afghanistan are scheduled to face the West Indies in a three-match T20I series on January 19, 21 and 22 in Dubai. The series is seen as a key part of the team’s preparations for the global tournament later this year.

Radford is a highly regarded Welsh coach and former first-class cricketer who represented Middlesex and Sussex. An ECB Level 4 certified coach, he brings vast international experience, having previously served as batting coach at Pakistan’s High Performance Centre and as Head of High Performance for the Bangladesh Cricket Board. He was also part of the West Indies coaching staff during their ICC T20 World Cup triumph in 2012.

In domestic cricket, Radford guided Middlesex to a national T20 title in 2008 and later served as head coach of Glamorgan. He is also known as an ECB coach mentor and the author of the popular cricket book Getting to Grips.

Ahmun, an elite strength and conditioning specialist from Wales, most recently served as Head of Performance Science and Medicine at the England and Wales Cricket Board. The ACB said it is now continuing its search for a head coach and a spin bowling coach, with current head coach Jonathan Trott expected to step down after the T20 World Cup.

Hassan Eisakhil batting with his father Mohammad Nabi, making them the first father-son pair to bat together in a top-tier T20 league, was the icing on the cake of his match-winning knock in the BPL.

Eisakhil made 92 for Noakhali Express against Dhaka Capitals in Sylhet on Sunday. It was Eisakhil’s first overseas franchise league match, having made his competitive debut three years ago.

Nabi presented Eisakhil with the Noakhali cap before the toss. The Noakhali team management, under fire after the side lost their first six matches, finally chose Eisakhil, the 20th player they have used in this tournament. He proved his worth right away, as he struck seven fours and five sixes in his 60-ball stay, having added 53 runs for the fourth wicket with Nabi. He had earlier put on 101 for the opening stand with Soumya Sarkar.

There were shades of his father’s style in Eisakhil’s batting. He too holds the bat quite low down and has a languid stance. Eisakhil’s penchant for driving on the up was also evident, though he started off with square cuts and flicks. He played an imperious pull too, reminiscent of Nabi.

The father-son duo started batting together in the 14th over. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nabi’s long-time Afghanistan team-mate and now playing for Dhaka Capitals, got the father-son duo to hug as soon as they got together in the middle. There was plenty of encouragement from Nabi, as Eisakhil dominated their partnership. He also continuously explained to Nabi what he had picked up from the bowler’s hand and how he executed certain shots, particularly the straight sixes.

Nabi contributed 17 off 13 balls, before falling to Abdullah Al Mamun; Eisakhil followed him soon after, falling to Mohammad Saifuddin in the following over. Nabi has seen enough of Eisakhil in competitive matches, having played six matches against him in his short career. A video clip of Eisakhil hitting Nabi for a six went viral last year.

The pair has also been training together in the BPL. Nabi arrived late for Noakhali, but spent much time in the training ground with his son. Nabi did throwdowns, apart from bowling to Eisakhil. There was the sweet moment when Eisakhil helped Nabi to pack his bags after the training. Given Eisakhil’s performance in this game, he is all set to get more game time with his father in the XI.

Afghanistan Under‑19 cricket team began their preparations for the ICC Men’s Under‑19 World Cup on a high note with a convincing six‑wicket victory over Australia Under‑19s in their first warm‑up match, played on Sunday in Windhoek, Namibia. The contest was affected by interruptions and the target was adjusted under the Duckworth‑Lewis‑Stern (DLS) method.

Australia Under‑19s, who won the toss and elected to bat first, were bowled out for 167 runs in 43.5 overs at the Wanderers Cricket Ground. Afghanistan’s bowling attack was disciplined, led by Abdul Aziz with notable figures, supported by key contributions from Nooristani Omarzai and others.

Chasing a revised target under DLS, Afghanistan Under‑19s reached 164 for 4 in 35.4 overs, securing the win with six wickets in hand and 74 balls to spare.

Afghanistan Under-19s will face Sri Lanka Under-19s in their second warm-up match on Wednesday.