Afghanistan sign up R Sridhar as assistant coach

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has signed up R Sridhar as assistant coach for Afghanistan's upcoming series against New Zealand and South Africa. Sridhar had served as India's fielding coach from 2014-21, working as a part of Ravi Shastri's support staff.

Afghanistan, coached by former England batter Jonathan Trott , have a one-off Test against New Zealand in Noida from September 9, followed by three ODIs against South Africa in Sharjah from September 18.

Sridhar, 54, is a former left-arm spinner who played for Hyderabad in the Indian domestic circuit in the 1990s. He began his coaching career in 2001, and went on to work at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, with the India Under-19s at the 2014 World Cup, and with Kings XI Punjab at the IPL, leading up to his long stint with India's senior side. Sridhar is a Level-3 certified coach.

The ACB said in a statement that Sridhar's role with Afghanistan comes with the possibility of a longer-term contract in the future.