Coach Trott to leave Afghanistan after T20 World Cup

Former England batter Jonathan Trott will leave his job as head coach of Afghanistan after next year’s men’s T20 World Cup.

The 44-year-old has been in charge of Afghanistan since July 2022 and has overseen a successful period including guiding the team to the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup.

An Afghanistan Cricket Board statement said the decision was part of their “long-term strategic planning” for the “next phase of the national team’s growth”.

Trott said it had been “privilege” to coach the side and to “witness their passion, resilience, and hunger to achieve greatness”.

“I am proud of what we have accomplished together, and I will always remain a supporter of Afghan cricket,” added Trott.

Trott has coached Afghanistan for over three years but has never visited the country and still lives in Birmingham.

He travels when the players meet for camps in the United Arab Emirates, which is home to their main training base and hosts many of their fixtures.

The majority of the players live in Afghanistan and play in the domestic cricket leagues.

Ex-Warwickshire player Trott played 52 Tests and 68 one-day internationals for England, scoring 6,654 runs across both formats.