New Delhi: Afghanistan cricket team has appointed former Pakistan coach Richard Pybus as their new head coach after Jonathan Trott’s exit. Trott ended his tenure after the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 group stage as Afghanistan failed to qualify for the Super Eight stage.
This happened after the side suffered defeats against New Zealand and South Africa in the group phase matches of the T20 spectacle. Pybus is set to join the national side ahead of their upcoming multi-format white-ball series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates. The tour will begin with a three-match T20I series in Sharjah from March 13, followed by a three-match ODI series in Dubai, starting March 20.
ACB Appoint Richard Pybus as National Team Head Coach
ACB is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Pybus as Afghanistan’s new head coach. He will join AfghanAtalan ahead of the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka in March.
Read More: https://t.co/H0dAAElOFc pic.twitter.com/wLoE5x3450
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) February 24, 2026
Pybus’ term as Pakistan head coach
Richard Pybus has served as Pakistan’s head coach on multiple occasions between 1999 and 2003. Pybus initially was associated with the team during the 1999 Cricket World Cup where Pakistan reached the final. During the marquee event, he was with the side just as a consultant before assuming the full-time role. Pakistan, though, lost the final at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, with Australia claiming the title for the second time.
Pybus’s tenure also included several bilateral series, but it concluded following Pakistan’s early exit from the 2003 World Cup. Overall, he remains as one of most noted foreign coaches for the Men in Green. Not only this, he has also been credited with making some individual stars from the side like Mohammed Rizwan, who has grown up and performed with Pybus at the helm.