Gunawardene Afghans’ new batting coach

Former Sri Lankan batsman Avishka Gunawardene has been appointed as the batting coach of the Afghanistan national team for their upcoming one-day international series against Pakistan.

The Afghans wanted Gunawardene on a permanent role but the Sri Lankan only agreed to serve on a short-term.

Gunawardene previously worked as the batting coach of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka A team. But he was alleged of breaching the Emirates Cricket Board’s anti-corruption code during the T10 tournament in the UAE in 2017. After being cleared of those charges back in May, this is his first major job as a coach.

The three ODIs between Afghanistan and Pakistan will be held in Hambantota, Sri Lanka amid political unrest in Afghanistan. -TBP