Afghanistan appoint Lance Klusener as new head coach

The 48-year-old former South Africa allrounder replaces Phil Simmons, who left his role after the summer's World Cup

Afghanistan have appointed former South Africa allrounder Lance Klusener as their national team’s new head coach.

The 48-year-old, who has previously served as bowling coach at Mumbai Indians and as a batting coach for both South Africa and Zimbabwe, replaces Phil Simmons, who left his post following the World Cup.

According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Klusener was one of more than 50 applicants to put their names forward.

His appointment comes on the back of a turbulent time for Afghan cricket. Despite being tipped to impress at the World Cup, the team – captained then by Gulbadin Naib, who had been placed in charge out of the blue shortly before the tournament began – failed to win a game.

However, since that disappointment, Rashid Khan has been handed the captaincy across all three formats. In his first game as Test captain, he led his side to a famous victory in Bangladesh, taking 11 wickets in the process.

That encounter also saw talismanic allrounder Mohammad Nabi retire from Test cricket in order to focus on the white-ball formats.

The governing body’s chief executive Lutfullah Stanikzai said: “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 added: "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.”

He will begin his role prior to the country’s series against West Indies in November.