The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has named Richard Pybus as the new head coach of the men's national team. The announcement, made on Tuesday, comes in the wake of Afghanistan's disappointing group-stage exit from the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026, where the side managed just two wins from four matches and failed to advance to the Super 8s.
Pybus steps into the role vacated by Jonathan Trott, the former England batter who guided Afghanistan through a transformative period spanning over three years. Under Trott's watch, the team reached several milestones, most notably their maiden T20 World Cup semi-final appearance in 2024 after memorable victories over Australia and New Zealand. Despite the emotional farewell, the ACB moved swiftly to bring in a successor with a proven track record on the global stage.
Who is Richard Pybus: The 61-year-old Englishman brings nearly three decades of international coaching experience to the Afghan setup. Pybus first gained worldwide attention when he coached Pakistan during the 1999 ODI World Cup, steering them all the way to the final before they fell to Australia. He went on to work with Pakistan across multiple stints in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
His association with West Indies cricket proved equally significant. Appointed as their director of cricket in 2013, Pybus played a key role in building the infrastructure behind one of cricket's most remarkable achievements — all three West Indies teams (men's, women's, and U19) clinched ICC World Cup titles in 2016. He later returned to the Caribbean setup as high-performance director in 2018 and served as interim head coach in 2019.
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Pybus also had a brief tenure with Bangladesh in 2012, though his time there lasted only a few months. Beyond international cricket, he enjoyed remarkable success in South African domestic competitions, winning nine championship titles across different franchises — a national record. He was twice recognized as South African Cricket Coach of the Year and is credited with nurturing talents like Faf du Plessis, Dale Steyn, Mohammad Rizwan, and Vernon Philander during their formative years.
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In addition to his coaching credentials, Pybus holds a doctorate in professional practice from Middlesex University, London, where his research centered on high-performance systems in sport.
Pybus will take charge across all formats, and his first assignment will be Afghanistan's upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka in the UAE. The opening T20I is set to take place in Sharjah on March 13.
With Afghanistan at a crossroads following their early World Cup exit, Pybus faces the immediate challenge of rebuilding confidence and charting a path forward for a squad that has shown it can compete at the highest level but still struggles with consistency. His vast experience in developing cricket programs from the ground up could be exactly what the ACB needs as they look to the future.
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