Dean Jones appointed as Afghanistan's interim head coach
What's the story?
Former Australian batsman Dean Jones has been appointed as Afghanistan cricket team's interim head coach. He will be in charge of the rising Asian side during their upcoming tour of Hong Kong.
The 56-year old confirmed the development in his official Twitter handle and exuded delight at being given the opportunity to work with an exciting bunch of players. He wrote, "I am pleased to announce that I will be Afghanistan interim Head Coach for their Tour to Hong Kong." [sic]
The background
After taking charge as Afghanistan's head coach during June last year, erstwhile Indian opener Lalchand Rajput oversaw a fairly successful period for the promising team which attained Test status.
However, Rajput expressed his apprehensions on Afghanistan's prevailing security issues and remained hesitant to travel to the country. As a result, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) did not choose to extend his contract and he took up a similar role with Assam in India's domestic circuit.
The heart of the matter
In a career between 1984 and 1994, Jones played 52 Tests and 164 ODIs for Australia. Often considered as one of the best ODI batsmen of his generation, the right-hander scored more than 6000 runs in the 50-over format at an impressive average of 44.61 with 53 fifty-plus scores.
Upon retiring from the game, Jones turned himself into an impressive commentator and covered numerous international matches before a major gaffe threatened to derail his progress. Following a brief hiatus, he returned to the commentary box whilst also being an analyst of the game with a few television channels.
Jones began his coaching career with Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). His astute man-management skills played a key role in the franchise cruising to the title during the inaugural edition in 2016. Even though he will offer his services to the Afghanistan team on an interim basis, the Australian should continue with his position as head coach of the PSL franchise.
What's next?
The ICC Intercontinental Cup fixture between Afghanistan and Hong Kong will take place between October 20th to 23rd at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok.
Author's take
Having a sharp reader of the game like Dean Jones as their interim head coach will do a world of good for the Afghanistan team. The players should be looking forward to the opportunity of picking the Australian's brain during their forthcoming trip to Hong Kong.