Sport
Toby Radford appointed Afghanistan’s batting coach
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.
Afghanistan’s U-15 national football team defeated India 2-1 in the quarter-finals of Tier C at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan on Thursday.
The match marked Afghanistan’s eighth appearance in the competition, with the young Afghan side recording their fifth victory.
Afghanistan will face Hungary in the semi-finals of the placement competition for positions 81 to 88 later on Thursday.
Afghanistan’s U-15 national football team secured a convincing 6-2 victory over Namibia in the Round of 16 of the lower bracket in Tier C at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
Afghanistan will now face India in the quarter-finals for positions 81 to 88, today (Thursday).
Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 37 runs in the opening match of their three-match T20I series in Sharjah on Tuesday, thanks to a blistering half-century from Ijaz Ahmadzai and impressive all-round performances from Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Afghanistan were struggling at 66 for 5 in the 12th over before Ahmadzai turned the innings around with an explosive knock. He reached his half-century off just 20 balls, putting Zimbabwe’s bowlers under pressure with a series of powerful shots.
Ahmadzai combined with Shahidullah, who scored 46 off 42 balls, to rebuild the innings. The pair added 61 runs in just 4.5 overs, helping Afghanistan recover from their early setbacks.
Rashid Khan provided another late surge, smashing 30 runs off just 10 deliveries, including four sixes and a four. Afghanistan were eventually bowled out with one ball remaining in their innings but managed to post a competitive total of 177.
Newman Nyamhuri was Zimbabwe’s leading bowler, claiming four wickets for 31 runs.
In reply, Zimbabwe struggled against Afghanistan’s disciplined bowling attack and were bowled out for 140, handing Afghanistan a comfortable victory.
Rashid played a key role with the ball, taking two wickets for 20 runs, while Fazalhaq Farooqi also claimed three wickets to restrict Zimbabwe’s chase.
Afghanistan tightened their grip during the middle overs as Rashid and Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck crucial blows. Mujeeb finished with two wickets, while Zimbabwe continued to lose batters at regular intervals and failed to build the partnerships needed to challenge the target.
The victory marked Afghanistan’s sixth consecutive T20I win against Zimbabwe and improved their overall record in the format to 20 wins against two defeats.
The sides will meet again for their next T20I on Thursday.
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