The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has boosted their national team support staff with two new appointments ahead of the upcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies and the T20 World Cup 2026, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka next month. ACB has appointed Toby Radford as their batting coach, and Robert Ahmun takes over as the new strength and conditioning trainer.
Toby Radford's experience
Radford is a renowned coach with a strong coaching resume and ECB Level 4 certification. A former player for Middlesex and Sussex, he has held several major coaching roles around the world. He is currently coaching the Dhaka Capitals in the Bangladesh Premier League and has previously worked with Pakistan’s High Performance Centre and the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
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He also coached West Indies during their 2012 T20 World Cup victory and the 2019 Test series win over England. Radford has worked extensively in English domestic cricket as well, guiding Middlesex to a national T20 title in 2008 and later coaching Glamorgan.
Who is Robert Ahmun?
Joining him on the support team is Robert Ahmun, a leading fitness and performance specialist from Cardiff. Ahmun has been closely involved with England cricket over the past decade, most recently as the ECB’s Head of Performance Science and Medicine.
Afghanistan is looking for a full-time head coach and spin bowling coach
With these two positions filled, Afghanistan are still searching for a full-time head coach and spin bowling coach, with the recruitment process currently underway.
Afghanistan's upcoming assignment
The Afghanistan squad will travel to Dubai for the three-match T20I series against West Indies, which will take place on January 19, 21 and 22. The series will serve as preparation before the team heads toward the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be held in India and Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
| Date (2026) | Match | Group | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 8 | New Zealand vs Afghanistan | Group D | Chennai (MA Chidambaram Stadium) | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 11 | South Africa vs Afghanistan | Group D | Ahmedabad (Narendra Modi Stadium) | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 16 | Afghanistan vs United Arab Emirates | Group D | Delhi (Arun Jaitley Stadium) | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 19 | Afghanistan vs Canada | Group D | Chennai (MA Chidambaram Stadium) | 07:00 PM |
Afghanistan T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran.
Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.