Afghanistan Cricket Board rope in Phil Simmons as the head coach

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has appointed Phil Simmons as the head coach of the national side on Sunday. He was already serving as the consulting coach of the team since February and it was only a matter of time that he was appointed at the helm. Afghanistan was one of the two teams who were awarded with the Test status and will be playing their first Test against India in 2019. However, Simmons would look to do wonders with the fast-improving side and their main aim would be to qualify for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The 53-year-old Simmons has experience of coaching a lot of international teams after hanging his boots in international cricket. His first coaching stint with Zimbabwe didn’t go as planned but he changed fortunes of Ireland national side after taking over the reins post 2007 Cricket World Cup. He was at the helm for a whopping 224 matches for them which made him the longest serving coach in international cricket.

In March 2015, Simmons was appointed as the coach of the Caribbean side which eventually went on to win the ICC World T20 in India. But again controversy with the top officials cut short his stint with his home side.

Simmons succeeds Dean Jones as coach

Phil Simmons will succeed Professor Dean Jones as the head coach of Afghanistan according to the reports in the 1tv news. The former Australian was with the team for their Intercontinental Cup fixture in Hong Kong in October. The likes of Lalchand Rajput, Inzamam Ul Haq, Rashid Latif and Kabir Khan have had spells as the coach of Afghanistan before Simmons. It will be interesting to see if he can help the cricket crazy nation achieve their dream.

Afghanistan’s breakthrough year

The year 2017 has been truly special for Afghanistan as they earned the Test status and also defeated a couple of full member teams. They were the only side to beat the eventual World Champions Windies in World T20 in 2016 and also trumped Zimbabwe in the ODI series. Moreover, the heroes of the country Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi were picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad in Indian Premier League.

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