Afghanistan appoint Andy Flower as consultant for the 2021 T20 World Cup

Former Zimbabwe skipper Andy Flower has been appointed as Afghanistan’s consultant for the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup in the UAE. The Afghanistan Cricket Board put forth the decision on Friday, October 9.

The 53-year-old has been plying his trade in administrative roles for quite a while now. The veteran was the head coach of the England national team from 2009 to 2014.

The southpaw also helped the Three Lions get their hands on the World T20 trophy back in 2010. Flower has already joined the bio-secure bubble of the Afghanistan national cricket team.

Azizullah Fazli, the chairman of the ACB, has welcomed Flower wholeheartedly. The chief said that having worked with a number of Afghan cricketers in domestic competitions will help Flower and the national team.

“We are delighted that Andy has joined ACB. Andy has worked with a number of our players in various franchise completions and his vast experience will be very beneficial and useful to help the team in the World Cup,” Fazli was quoted as saying in a statement, Cricbuzz reported.

Afghanistan to go from Qatar to the UAE

Apart from coaching the Brits at the highest level, Flower has also had coaching stints in various T20 leagues such as the Indian Premier League, the Caribbean Premier League, the Pakistan Super League and the inaugural edition of The Hundred.

Flower remains one of the most talented cricketers Zimbabwe have ever produced. In 63 Tests and 213 ODIs, he scored 4794 and 6786 runs respectively with 16 centuries and 82 half-centuries. He also took 292 catches and effected 41 stumps in his international career.

In the meantime, the Afghanistan cricket team left for Qatar on Wednesday, October 6 after which they are scheduled to go to the UAE to take part in the mega event. Afghanistan are scheduled to play their first game against a Qualifier on Monday, October 25 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Recently, they appointed Mohammad Nabi as their skipper for the T20 tournament, which is scheduled to get underway on October 17. The opening match is set to take place between Oman and Papua New Guinea at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 1), Al Amerat.