Afghanistan Announce Major Change in Support Staff Ahead of Asia Cup 2025

The Asia Cup 2025 is one of the most anticipated cricket tournaments of the year. It will feature top Asian nations competing for the regional crown. The tournament will be played in the Twenty20 International (T20I) format, with India entering as the defending champions. It would be an exciting, thrilling contest among some of the best and emerging nations.

Afghanistan will begin their campaign in the Asia Cup 2025 against Hong Kong. The Afghan team, which has emerged into one of the best cricket teams in the world lately, has already announced their squad for the competition. They will be led by their global superstar Rashid Khan and he will be joined by experienced players who are expected to play a major role in the tournament.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has also made important changes to the support staff ahead of the Asia Cup. These changes are aimed at giving the team more strength and professional guidance during the upcoming crucial tournament. Along with naming their squad, Afghanistan has appointed a new fielding coach who already has a past connection with the team.

John Mooney Becomes Afghanistan Fielding Coach

Former Ireland cricketer John Mooney has been brought back into the setup, and his appointment is seen as a key step in preparing the squad for the Asia Cup. The decision to bring Mooney reflects Afghanistan’s focus on improving its fielding standards and overall team performance.

John Mooney has officially been appointed as the new Afghanistan fielding coach. Mooney, a former Ireland international all-rounder, played 91 matches for his country. His record includes 64 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 27 Twenty20 Internationals. He also represented Ireland in three ICC Cricket World Cups (2007, 2011, and 2015) and two ICC Men’s T20 World Cups (2009 and 2010). After retiring as a player, Mooney turned to coaching and has earned level 1, 2, and 3 certificates from the England Cricket Board.

This is not his first time working with Afghanistan. John Mooney previously served as the Afghanistan fielding coach from 2018 to 2019. His return to the team brings familiarity and experience, which could help the squad perform better in the Asia Cup 2025.

In addition to his earlier work with Afghanistan, he has also worked with the West Indies men’s team in 2019 and was associated with the Ireland women’s team earlier this year. The Afghanistan Cricket Board hoped that his presence would help in addressing one of the team’s weaker areas, which is fielding. The appointment of John Mooney as Afghanistan Fielding coach is being seen as a move to strengthen the team before the big tournament.

Support staff changes ahead of Asia Cup 2025

Along with John Mooney, Afghanistan has made another addition to its support staff. The team has appointed Nirmalan Thanabalasingam as the new physiotherapist. Thanabalasingam brings a lot of experience to the role. He has worked as the physiotherapist for the Desert Vipers in the ILT20 since 2020.

Before that, he served as the High Performance Training and Rehabilitation Manager for Sri Lanka Cricket from March 2017 to June 2018. His wide experience with international cricket players and franchise leagues makes him a valuable addition to the Afghan support staff.

These changes are seen as very important for Afghanistan as they head into the Asia Cup 2025. The tournament will test the physical and mental strength of all players, and having an experienced physiotherapist like Thanabalasingam and a fielding coach, John Mooney, will ensure better injury management, fielding, and fitness.

With Rashid Khan, one of the best spinners in the world, leading the Afghanistan Asia Cup squad, the team will look to make a strong start in their opening match against Hong Kong. The Asia Cup 2025 will give Afghanistan another chance to prove itself on the big stage. They have already shown in past tournaments that they are capable of challenging top teams. With new support staff in place, the Afghanistan squad will look forward to giving their best in competition.