Afghanistan appoint HD Ackerman as their new batting coach 

What's the story?

Former South African batsman HD Ackerman is set to join the backroom staff of the Afghanistan cricket team as their new batting coach. The Afghanistan Cricket Board declared Ackerman's appointment via their official Twitter handle on Tuesday (28th January).

The background

Although Ackerman could play only 4 Test matches for his nation, he was a big name in the world of first-class cricket. The 46-year-old played 220 FC matches in his 15-year long career. He aggregated 14,625 runs which included 40 centuries and 75 fifties. His highest score was 309* while the right-handed batsman also played 230 List-A games and 55 T20s.

He averaged 43.65 in the first-class arena and, he had decent numbers in the other two formats of the game as well. Apart from South Africa, Ackerman also played domestic cricket as a part of the Leicestershire county.

The heart of the matter

Afghanistan have struggled in the longer formats of the game

Afghanistan have been one of the most consistent teams in the shortest format of the game however, the Blue Tigers have not replicated the same success in ODIs and Tests. They finished last in the ICC World Cup 2019, and after Mohammad Nabi's retirement, there is a large void in their Test team.

HD Ackerman will join compatriot Lance Klusener in the Afghan dressing room. Klusener is currently serving as the coach of Afghanistan. ACB confirmed Ackerman's new role with the following tweet. The cricketer-turned-commentator expressed his gratitude after his selection.

Really looking forward to this exciting opportunity. https://t.co/COvVPW0QKI

— Hylton Deon Ackerman (@ackershd) January 28, 2020

What's next?

Ackerman will take over this new role from March ahead of Afghanistan's T20I series versus Ireland. It will be intriguing to see how the Afghan batsmen fare under the new coach, especially in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.