Lance Klusener appointed new Afghanistan head coach

Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener has been appointed as the new head coach of the Afghanistan national team. He replaces West Indian Phil Simmons whose tenure had come to an end. The Afghanistan Cricket Board had started a process of inviting applications for the post, with over 50 applicants applying for the position.

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Klusener is a Level 4 certified coach and was eventually deemed to be the best candidate for the job. Confirming Klusener’s appointment, ACB CEO Lutfullah Stanikzai said in a statement:

“Lance Klusener is a renowned name in the cricketing world. It will be great to see our players benefit from his vast experience both as a player and a coach.”

Klusener was delighted with his appointment, looking forward to working with a young and exciting crop of Afghani players. He said:

“I am extremely excited and honoured to be given the opportunity to work with some of the best talent in world cricket. Everyone knows the fearless brand of cricket Afghanistan play. I am very confident that with some hard work we can become one of the best sides in the world. I am really looking forward to working with the Afghanistan team and helping them take their cricket to the next level.”

In his heyday, Klusener was regarded as one of the most fearsome all-rounders in the world. He played 49 Test matches for the Proteas scoring 1906 runs and picking up 80 wickets. He also played 171 ODIs, scoring 3576 runs and scalping 192 wickets.

Klusener also has a vast amount of experience in his coaching career. He has acted as the bowling coach of the Mumbai Indians, batting coach of the South African Test team, head coach of the Dolphins franchise in South African cricket and the batting coach of the Zimbabwe national team. His last position was the batting coach of the South African T20I side.