Afghanistan appoint Richard Pybus as head coach
Afghanistan Team (Source: X/@ACBofficials)
Published - 24 Feb 2026, 10:57 PM• Read time - 2 mins
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has appointed Richard Pybus as the head coach of the national team. The upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka in March will be his first assignment.
A three-time World Cup-winning head coach and Director of Cricket, England-born Pybus brings a wealth of experience and proven credentials to the role. He replaces Jonathon Trott, who departed following Afghanistan’s group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup 2026 after spending three years in the role.
Pybus donned multiple hats while working with the West Indies in a six-year span from 2013 to 2019, serving as director of cricket, high-performance expert, and head coach. He oversaw the team’s historic treble of ICC World Cup victories in 2016, when the West Indies men’s, women’s, and U19 teams all secured world titles in the same calendar year, achieving an unprecedented feat in the history of international cricket.
Previously, Pybus served as Pakistan’s head coach, guiding the side to the 1999 World Cup final, which they lost to Australia. He has also held the head coach role with Bangladesh in 2013.
Pybus has a strong coaching record in South African domestic and franchise cricket, where the teams under him have secured a record nine championships. He has also worked with Middlesex in England country cricket.
He has also worked towards the development of top international cricketers, including the South African duo of Faf Du Plessis and Dale Steyn and Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan.
Pybus’ wealth of experience could be crucial for the team after a disappointing end at the ongoing T20 World Cup, where Afghanistan were slotted in Group D along with New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and UAE.
They lost their tournament opener to New Zealand by five wickets in Chennai and then suffered a heartbreaking defeat against South Africa in a Double Super Over in Ahmedabad in a contest for the ages. Afghanistan defeated Canada (five wickets) and UAE (82 runs) by convincing margins, but that was not enough to secure a Super 8 berth.
