The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced ex-Australian cricketer Shane McDermott as the men's team's new fielding coach after Ibrahim Zadran's brigade's T20I series defeat against India. McDermott is scheduled to start his role from February 1, 2024, coinciding with Afghanistan's upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. This news was confirmed through a press release issued by the ACB, which provided updates on the latest changes within the Afghanistan cricket team.
“The Afghanistan Cricket Board confirms the appointment of the Shane McDermott as the Afghanistan National Team’s New Fielding Coach. McDermott is set to join the team on February 1, during Afghanistan’s all-format tour to Sri Lanka,” said the press release.
Shane McDermott brings a wealth of cricket coaching experience, holding a Level Three coaching certificate. He has worked with several prominent teams, including Australia, Sri Lanka, the Western Australia Cricket Association, and Cricket Tasmania.
Since 2022, McDermott has been serving as the fielding coach for the Bangladesh cricket team. Prior to that, he held the same position with Sri Lanka's team from 2019 to 2021 and also took on the role of head coach for Sri Lanka A cricket team.
In addition, McDermott spent time at Cricket Australia’s National Cricket Center as an interim fielding coach and interim national A team analyst from 2012 to 2019. The Afghanistan Cricket Board has also recently appointed Andrew Puttick as the men's team batting coach. The team's head coach is Jonathan Trott, a former England batsman.
Under Jonathan Trott's leadership, the Afghanistan cricket team has seen significant successes over the past two years, achieving several milestones. Notably, Afghanistan clinched their first T20I series victory against Pakistan and also performed admirably in the recent ODI World Cup.
Afghanistan's cricket team has notably defeated prominent teams like England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, and came close to triumphing over Australia as well. At one point, they were contenders for the semi-finals of the tournament. On their recent tour of India, Afghanistan provided stiff competition to the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team in a three-match T20I series. Despite losing the series 3-0, the final match was a series highlight. In an ambitious chase of a daunting 213-run target, Afghanistan pushed the game to two super overs, an impressive feat for the team.
Afghanistan's cricket has seen remarkable growth over the past decade, with players like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz emerging as key talents in the current squad.
The team is now gearing up for upcoming series against Sri Lanka and Ireland, starting in February. The Sri Lanka tour will feature one Test, three ODIs, and three T20I matches, where Afghanistan aims to secure a victory against the 'Lankan Lions'.
Based on their performance in the ODI World Cup 2023, Afghanistan is also considered a strong contender for advancing to the knockouts of the T20 World Cup 2024.
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