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ACB Chief Reveals Ajay Jadeja Mentored Afghanistan For Free During World Cup 2023

Ajay Jadeja worked as the mentor for Afghanistan in 2023 [x.com]Ajay Jadeja worked as the mentor for Afghanistan in 2023 [x.com]

Following Afghanistan's recent success, the Afghanistan Cricket Board chief, Naseeb Khan, has revealed that the former Indian cricketer, Ajay Jadeja - who mentored the men's side in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 didn't charge a penny for the assignment.

In a recent revelation, it was brought to people's attention that while Afghanistan went on a World Cup run to remember back in 2023, one of the architects in the support staff, Ajay Jadeja, was working for free with the only hope of just helping them do well. 

"We insisted multiple times but Jadeja refused to take any money from the Afghanistan Cricket Board for his services during the 2023 ODI World Cup. His response was, 'If you play well, that's all the money and reward I need'," Khan was quoted as saying by Ariana News.

He was appointed as an assistant coach/mentor solely for the World Cup due to his familiarity with the conditions.

Afghanistan, in their WC run, finished 6th and level on points (8) with Pakistan just a win behind the qualification into the semi-final. 

They notably defeated the 1992 champions Pakistan, 1996 champions and multiple-time finalists Sri Lanka, and the defending champions England in the course of the group stage.

They were also on the verge of killing Australia's hopes for the semi-finals after reducing the Aussies to 91/7 before Glenn Maxwell's blistering 201* while chasing 292.

The 53-year-old - who said "You guys playing well will be my fees" - had last played international cricket for India back in 2000 after 196 ODIs while averaging 37.47 and 15 Tests averaging 26.

Before and after the World Cup stint, Jadeja has been around the sport while doing his work as a broadcaster.

Currently, Afghanistan are playing brilliantly in the T20 World Cup 2024, where they have qualified for the Super 8 stage after knocking out New Zealand, Uganda and PNG.