Sense of humour, knowledge of MS Office among core competencies to become Afghanistan's cricket head coach

The Afghanistan Cricket Board is seeking a new head coach, listing sense of humour and proficiency in Microsoft Office as key requirements. This comes as current coach Jonathan Trott expressed frustration over a lack of input in squad selection and communication with ACB management. The board's unusual job descriptions have drawn public reaction.

File photo of the Afghanistan cricket team. (AFP Photo)

New Delhi: While having a sense of humour might not command a lot of value in an average job opening, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) clearly holds the trait in high regard. That and the ability to "use current Microsoft Office products. " The ACB has mentioned having a "sense of humour" among its core competencies necessary to become the national team's head coach, following Jonathan Trott's stint which will end after the 2026 T20 World Cup. The job requirements further mention the necessity for candidates who "encourage boundaries to be broken and view players through a holistic lens". "Use video analysis and performance metrics to evaluate progress and conduct 'lessons learned' reviews after every major assignment," read another expectation for the head coach's role. Even the list of requirements for becoming the national team's spin bowling coach requires an individual to be willing to execute tasks assigned by the 'line supervisor'. Assisting the performance analyst with "scouting of opposition players" is another interesting job responsibility assigned to the team's spin bowling coach. "Is this a joke?" read a reaction on X to ACB's social media post listing the openings in the national team. Former England cricketer and Afghanistan's current head coach Trott had recently expressed his frustration with regard to the operational style of the ACB. "The sad thing for me is the fact that I haven't been able to have any input on the squad. I haven't had any communication with the top management of the ACB or with the chief selector. So that's one of those things I think as a coach, you should have a little bit of idea or a little bit of input. When you don't have that input, like I have had in other teams and other tournaments, it is really sad," he had stated. "I've been trying to get hold of them for the last couple of weeks. And the Chairman, I've been trying to get hold of him and I haven't been able to get any input back on the selection, for the last few squads since the Asia Cup didn't go our way," added Trott. Afghanistan failed to make much of an impact in the 2025 Asia Cup, recording just one win in three matches. The disappointing show came just a year after the highs of reaching the semifinals of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

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