Afghanistan recalls John Mooney, who represented Ireland in International cricket before announcing his retirement. He is making a comeback in the Afghanistan national side after a break for six years. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) made a statement on August 27 (Wednesday) that Mooney will undertake the duties to serve as the fielding coach.
The position of fielding coach was required to be filled after Shane McDermott exited, coaching the Pakistan team. Mooney was associated with Afghanistan during 2018-19. He has been featured in 91 international clashes, with his involvement in the 2007, 2011 and 2015 ICC Cricket World Cups. Mooney was also a prominent player for Ireland in two ICC Men’s T20 World Cups.
As a professional fielding coach, Mooney owns Level 1, 2 and 3 coaching certificates, getting them from the England & Wales Cricket Board. In previous stints, Mooney also paired with the West Indies in 2019 and the women’s team of Ireland since January 2025.
In the current situation, Afghanistan are involved in a training and preparation campaign in Abu Dhabi as they gear up for the tri-nation T20I series, having UAE and Pakistan as the other two teams. Afghanistan will also play in the upcoming T20I Asia Cup 2025.
