Toby Radford appointed Afghanistan's batting coach

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has appointed Toby Radford as the national team's batting coach, replacing Andrew Puttick. He is set to join the squad ahead of the upcoming three-match T20I series against the West Indies.

Additionally, Robert Ahmun has been named the new strength & conditioning trainer. Both appointments are for one year.

Afghanistan will face the West Indies in a T20I series on January 19, 21, and 22 in Dubai.

Radford's background:

• A Welsh cricket coach and former first-class cricketer (Middlesex, Sussex).
• ECB Level 4 certified coach.
• Currently head coach of Dhaka Capitals.
• Previously served as batting coach for the Pakistan Cricket Board's High Performance Centre (2022-2024) and as head of High Performance for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (2020-2022).
• Part of the West Indies coaching staff during their 2012 ICC T20 World Cup win and 2019 Test series victory over England.
• Led Middlesex to a national T20 title in 2008 and was head coach for Glamorgan.
• Author of the cricket book Getting to Grips.

Ahmun's background:

• An elite strength & conditioning specialist from Cardiff, Wales.
• Most recently Head of Performance Science and Medicine for the ECB (since December 2022), overseeing physical preparation and medical services for England's national teams.
• Previously the ECB's National Lead for Strength and Conditioning (2017-2022) and worked within the England Pathways program.
• Holds an MSc in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Wales, Cardiff, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Exeter.

The ACB noted that positions for head coach and spin bowling coach remain open, with recruitment actively underway. Current head coach Jonathon Trott is expected to depart after the T20 World Cup.