Former England batter Graham Thorpe appointed Afghanistan head coach

New Delhi: Axed over England’s Ashes debacle, former batter Graham Thorpe was on Tuesday appointed as Afghanistan’s new head coach.

Thorpe was one of three people to lose their jobs in the wake of England’s disastrous Ashes campaign Down Under along with head coach Chris Silverwood and managing director Ashley Giles.

Thorpe, who played 100 Tests for England between 1993 and 2005, was announced by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) as the full-time replacement for Lance Klusener, who stepped down in November after a two-year tenure.

“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,” the board said in a press release.

“He will step up into the role of head coach ahead of the upcoming international events of Afghanistan.”

Former Australia batter Stuart Law had been in charge of the national set-up in an interim capacity.

The other names in contention included former Pakistan players Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Mahmood.

Thorpe’s more-than-a-decade-long tenure in the England set-up ended in controversial circumstances earlier this year.

Following England’s defeat in the fifth and final Test at Hobart, Thorpe triggered controversy by filming the arrival of police officers to break up an early-morning drinking session involving several English and Australian players.

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The police had allegedly been called after Thorpe lit a cigar in an indoor space, which is against the law in Tasmania.

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