Richard Pybus To Lead Afghanistan In Sri Lanka Series
Kabul: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has named England-born Richard Pybus as the new head coach of the men’s national team, stepping in to replace Jonathan Trott following the side’s group-stage exit from the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup.
Trott’s three-year stint concluded after Afghanistan suffered defeats to New Zealand and South Africa, preventing them from advancing to the Super 8 stage. Pybus, an experienced coach with a notable track record, will assume responsibility across all formats and link up with the squad ahead of their forthcoming white-ball tour against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates.
The series kicks off with three T20 Internationals in Sharjah starting March 13, followed by three One-Day Internationals in Dubai from March 20.
Pybus brings extensive international coaching credentials to the role. He previously served as Pakistan’s head coach on multiple occasions between 1999 and 2003. Initially joining as a consultant during the 1999 Cricket World Cup where Pakistan reached the final under his influence he later took the full-time position. That World Cup campaign ended with an eight-wicket defeat to Australia in the final at Lord’s. His tenure featured various bilateral series but wrapped up after Pakistan’s early elimination from the 2003 World Cup, amid administrative shifts and security-related disruptions.
Beyond Pakistan, Pybus made substantial contributions to West Indies cricket. He served as Director of Cricket from 2013, focusing on regional development, and returned in 2018 as High Performance Director, emphasizing talent pathways from Under-19 to senior levels. In 2019, he acted as interim head coach, steering the team to a home Test series victory over England and a drawn ODI rubber.
Pybus oversaw the high-performance framework that led to West Indies’ historic 2016 treble, with their Men’s, Women’s, and Under-19 sides all winning ICC World Cup titles in the same year, a unique feat in cricket history.
Academically accomplished, Pybus earned a Doctorate in Professional Practice from Middlesex University in 2022 for his research on the “Optimal Performance System,” aimed at achieving sustained excellence in high-pressure settings. He also holds advanced coaching certifications, including Level Four CSA accreditation, alongside qualifications in executive coaching, performance coaching, and NLP.
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