The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced that Jonathan Trott would be quitting his role as the head coach of Afghanistan at the 2026 T20 World Cup in March. Moreover, the board declared that they are going to sack batting coach Andrew Puttick upon his contract ending on December 31.
Before Puttick took the job in January this year, he was the batting coach of Pakistan. Conversely, Trott joined the position of Afghanistan head coach in July 2022 and helped the team achieve the status of a strong white-ball team. After his initial appointment with a 18-month term Trott received a 12-month extension in 2024 and another in 2025. He took Afghanistan to several professional performances of world standards.
“ACB recognises that coaching transitions are a natural part of the global cricketing ecosystem. Just as teams evolve, so do their leadership and strategic needs. No international side remains under a single coach forever, and this change marks a new chapter for Afghanistan as the board continues building toward long-term excellence. This decision comes as part of ACB’s long term strategic planning for the next phase of the national team’s growth,” the board said in a statement as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Trott’s last task as Afghanistan’s head coach will be the 2026 T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka between February 7 and March 8. Afghanistan accomplished historic feats under his leadership, such as making it to the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-finals in the USA and the Caribbean and making their first-ever appearance in the ICC tournament knockout stages after winning the group and Super Eight stages against Australia and New Zealand.
Earlier in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka, England, and Pakistan in spectacular fashion. They even nearly defeated Australia, the ultimate champions.
“It has been a privilege to work with the Afghanistan National Team 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. I wish the team and the Afghan people continued success in the years ahead,” said Trott.
During the period Trott was in charge, Afghanistan also recorded some renowned ODI series victories in Sharjah over South Africa and Bangladesh. The team became one of the top eight teams in the ODI World Cup point table, securing them a historic appearance in the upcoming champions trophy earlier in 2025.
Recently Afghanistan has beaten Zimbabwe 3-0 in a T20I series to an earlier sweep of Bangladesh 3-0 in an ODI series. This has made Afghanistan one of the most successful coaching experiences so far as Afghanistan has 20 out of 43 ODIs and 29 out of 61 T20IS under their watch.
The next position Trott will have is already confirmed; he will become the head coach of the Gulf Giants in the next ILT20 season, starting on December 2. Sourav Ganguly was the coach of the Pretoria Capitals before becoming head coach of the team in the 20242025 season of the SA20.
According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), it will initiate the process of choosing a new head coach after a tournament scheduled in 2026, T20 World Cup. Trott left this year to play the multi-format tour of Zimbabwe, leaving former fast bowler Hamid Hassan as interim head coach, and former captain Nawroz Mangal as assistant coach.
