Former Pakistan captain named as Afghanistan coach

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam (R) will be the coach of Afghanistan until 2017

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq will be the Afghanistan coach for the next two years after having a successful campaign in Zimbabwe recently. Inzamam was working on a temporary basis as a coach with the Afghanistan team on the their tour to Zimbabwe.

According to a report on PTI, Inzamam was pleased with the prospects of working with the Asian minnows, and with the possibility of helping them grow into a stronger cricketing nation. Afghanistan won the ODI series 3-2 and the T20I series 2-0 against Zimbabwe in their first ever series wins against a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Former coach of Afghanistan and national selector in Pakistan, Kabir Khan, told PTI that Inzamam 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. Inzamam is satisfied with what he saw in Zimbabwe and believes that the Afghanistan team has good cricket talent and can move ahead,” Kabir said.

Kabir has worked with the Afghanistan cricket team for many years and oversaw the minnows’ rise in international cricket. He mentioned that Inzamam particulary enjoyed working with the Afghan cricketers and guiding the batsmen.

“Inzamam is satisfied with what he saw in Zimbabwe and believes that the Afghanistan team has good cricket talent and can move ahead. Inzamam is a cricket great and he can do a lot to improve their batting standards. And his calibre and stature is such he will remain above any petty politics which have hurt Afghanistan cricket,” Kabir said.

Kabir was of the opinion that Afghan batting has been lacking for quite a long time. He believed that Inzamam's appointment would help the Afghanistan players to improve their all-round performance considering that their bowling and fielding have always been aggressive.

In the past, Inzamam was offered a similar role with the Pakistan Cricket Team. The move fell through because both the Pakistan Cricket Board and Inzamam could not come to an agreement regarding financial matters.

Inzamam was one of the best batsmen Pakistan have had, his records speaking for themselves. He played 120 Test matches and scored 8830 runs at an impressive average of 49.60, scoring 25 centuries and 46 half-centuries.

In the 50-over format, Inzamam played 378 matches and scored 11739 runs, which is the highest for any Pakistani batsman. He is sixth in the all-time list of highest run-getters in ODIs.

It remains to be seen how useful Inzamam's experience will be in helping Afghanistan cricket maintain their rise in international cricket. If recent performances are anything to go by, it is just a matter of time before Afghanistan received full-membership status in the ICC.