Graham Thorpe has been named as the new head coach of Afghanistan, almost two months after he was sacked as England 's assistant coach.
Thorpe, who represented England in 100 Test matches between 1993 and 2005, worked as a coach with the national side for over a decade. However, he was one of three people to lose their jobs in the wake of the Ashes debacle along with head coach Chris Silverwood and managing director Ashley Giles.
"I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with so many good players and coaches who I consider my friends for life," Thorpe said at the time. Interim managing director Sir Andrew Strauss added: "I’d like to thank Graham for his work over many years on the England coaching staff and wish him the best for the future."
There had been suggestions that Thorpe could become Middlesex's new head coach following the departure of Stuart Law, but the job ultimately went to Richard Johnson. However, it has now been confirmed that Thorpe will be Afghanistan's new head coach.
Former coach Lance Klusener left the role in November after reaching an agreement with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to not extend his contract. And, after a four-month search for his replacement, the ACB have appointed Thorpe.
In a statement, the board said: "Former English middle-order batter Graham Thorpe has been named as the new head coach of our national men’s cricket team. He will step up into the role of head coach ahead of the upcoming international events of Afghanistan.
"Graham Thorpe has played hundred test matches for England from 1987-2002, scoring 6744 runs at 44.66 with 16 centuries and the best of unbeaten 200*. He has also represented England in 82 One Day Internationals (ODIs) during the period, having scored 2380 runs at 37.18 with 21 half-centuries to his name in the format.
"After his tenure as a cricketer, Thorpe took to coaching roles at different levels, the biggest of them being the batting coach for the English National team from April 2011 to September 2019. He has worked with all the England players across international formats, completed 6 England lions tours and 12 England senior men’s tours.
"He has also worked as a lead batting coach with World Cup Winner England Team during the 2019 CWC. It’s to mention, that the ACB had launched the recruitment process for hiring a new head coach, through which Graham Thorpe was selected as the best available nominee for the position."
