ACB appoints Younis Khan as Afghanistan's batting coach

Pakistan legend, Younis Khan, has been appointed by the Afghanistan Cricket board as their batting coach for the upcoming UAE Tour. Earlier in the week, former Pakistan pacer Umar Gul was also drafted as Afghanistan's bowling coach for the same tour.

However, the former batter Younis Khan is likely to join the squad during the ongoing training camp in the UAE. Afghanistan men's national cricket team left Kabul for the UAE on March 31, intending to gain UAE residency as the squad is ready for its upcoming international assignments.



In a statement, Afghanistan Cricket board CEO Naseeb Khan said, "The UAE camp is a great opportunity for the players to get adequate training in the relevant departments of the game and get fully prepared for future competitions.

Adding further, "Younis Khan and Umar Gul have rich experience of international cricket, and I am sure they will help our boys overcome the concerns they have got in the batting and bowling departments."

Notably, this will be Younis' second international coaching assignment since his retirement in 2017. The 44-year old batter, Pakistan's leading Test run-getter, was appointed Pakistan's batting coach on a two-year contract but left his role after only serving for six months.

Apart from the Pakistani duo, ACB will also take the services of Graham Thorpe - who was part of England’s team management during the 2019 World Cup - who will join the Asian side as head coach for Afghanistan's future series. 

Discover more
Top Stories
news

IPL 2022 | James Neesham picks his teams to watch out for this season

New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham has picked Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as the two sides to watch out for in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). PBKS have assembled a power-packed batting line-up this season, and it was completely evident when they chased down a 200+ total in their opening game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. They faltered in their last outing against the Knight Riders, but the intent was for everyone to see. With Johnny Bairstow set to join the set-up, it will add a lot more potency to what is already a perfect batting unit. KKR, on the other hand, have claimed two wins in their first three games, and their powerplay bowling, coupled with the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, is what sets them apart, feels Neesham. In an exclusive interview with Cricblog, Neesham said: "I think Punjab Kings have a solid looking line-up. Kolkata as well is another one; they have a high-quality spin through the middle like we do [Ashwin, Chahal] with Chakravarthy and Narine, so I think I look at those two teams and think they have a perfect chance of challenging at the backend of the competition." RR picked Neesham in the recent mega-auction, and the all-rounder was full of praise for his new skipper and talented batsman, Sanju Samson. "The thing that strikes me about Sanju is that you can see the quality of batsmen when you play against them in games, and you get a feel for how they strike the ball. But you don't understand until you can watch them train day after day and hit balls. Then, you really get a sense of how high-quality they are," said Neesham. "Sanju played a couple of shots at training a couple of days ago, and I looked across at Daryl Mitchell, and we just sort of looked at each other and went 'wow', that's a hell of a cricketer," he added. Neesham on what makes IPL the best tournament in the world The IPL is a platform where talent meets opportunity. It is also a platform where the who's who of world cricket come under one roof. It not only allows young cricketers to rub shoulders with the best in the world but also helps them learn and improve by just observing them. According to Neesham, this is what makes IPL the tournament that it is. "The quality of cricket is better than anywhere else in the world. You have four overseas players, and it's the best players in the world [in the tournament]," "Looking at our Rajasthan Royals, it's pretty ridiculous. Even training in the nets and seeing the talent of guys that aren't even in the playing XI, as far as guys like Navdeep Saini and Kuldeep Sen. Guys that bowl serious pace and struggling even to make the playing XI is a testament to how high-quality the tournament is," he added. For Neesham, the opportunity to rub shoulders and train with the likes of Samson and Jos Buttler is one of the best things about the IPL. "One of the best things about the IPL is living day-to-day with these guys that are so high-quality and watching how they train. Sanju is definitely one of those players. Jos Buttler is another I was excited to join when I looked at the team," the all-rounder signed off. Meanwhile, the Royals have started brilliantly in the 15th season. The Samson-led unit have won both games with comprehensive margins, including a 23-run win over five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Saturday afternoon.

news

PAK vs AUS | 3rd ODI | Hosts thump visitors by 9 wickets; clinch maiden series win against Aussies, post-2002

On Saturday, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has added another feather to his cap as the home side ended their 7227-day wait to beat Australia in a bilateral ODI series in Lahore. Azam smashed another hundred, his second on the bounce and 16th overall in ODIs. While opener Imam-ul-Haq continued his stellar form, he stayed unbeaten on 89 off 100 deliveries to lead Pakistan to a comprehensive nine-wicket win with 12.1 overs still in their bag. However, the nine-wicket win was set up by Pakistan's bowlers, who were absolutely relentless in the decider. Batting first, Australia, unlike the first two games, couldn't make the most of the conditions as they lost their top-3 wickets at the score of 6 within a space of 31 deliveries. Once again, it was Shaheen Afridi who once again proved why he is the most-feared new ball bowler of the current era. The left-arm pacer trapped an in-form Travis Head plumb in front of the game's first ball. Skipper Aaron Finch's horrendous run-of-form continued as he registered his second consecutive duck of the series. While Shaheen, who trapped him plumb in front in the last game, this time, Shaheen's partner, Haris Rauf, sent the listering opener packing for a three-ball duck. Rauf dealt another blow to the Australians as he knocked over the half-centurion from the last game, Marnus Labuschagne, for a 10-ball 4. Ben McDermott, who scored his maiden ODI ton in the last game, tried to resurrect the sinking ship by adding 53 runs for the fourth wicket with Marcus Stoinis. But, when he (36 off 50 deliveries) and Stoinis were dismissed by leg-spinner Zahid Mahood and pacer Mohammad Waseem Jnr within a space of 8 runs, it left Australia gasping for breath at 5-67. But, as is always the case, Australia's middle and lower-order stepped up to the party to lend some respectability to the team's total. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey (56 off 61 deliveries) and all-rounder Cameron Green (34 off 47 deliveries) added 81 runs in 15 overs. But, just as it looked like the duo were setting Australia up a par score, Waseem Jr. knocked over Green with a skiddy incoming delivery while Iftikhar Ahmed got rid of Carey in quick succession. In the end, Sean Abbott showcased his hitting ability, smashing a whirlwind 40-ball 49 with the help of 6 fours and a six to ensure that Australia got past the 200-run mark. A sub-par total against an in-form Pakistani top-order, especially with the entire first-choice attack missing, was always challenging for Australia to defend. They desperately needed early wickets, and while Nathan Ellis did dismiss Fakhar Zaman for a 17-ball 12 in the 4th over, it proved to be the only wicket that the visitors could manage. Babar (105* off 115 deliveries) and Imam looked impregnable at the crease as they completely dominated the Aussie attack with their strokeplay. Azam completed his 16th ODI hundred off just 110 deliveries when he drove Labuschagne for a couple of past covers in the 36th over before Imam sealed the deal with a boundary off the same bowler in his next over. Babar was adjudged the 'Player of the Match' for his superb ton. He was also named the 'Player of the Series' for scoring a half-century and two match-winning hundreds in three games. Brief Scores: Australia 210 all-out in 41.5 overs (Alex Carey 56 [61], Sean Abbott 49 [40]; Haris Rauf 3/39 [8.5], Mohammad Waseem Jnr 3/40 [10]) LOST to Pakistan 1-214 in 37.5 overs (Babar Azam 105* [115], Imam-ul-Haq 89* [100]) by nine wickets