A Month in Kabul, 40 Players and India in June: Richard Pybus Gets to Work on Afghanistan's Biggest Series in Years

Richard Pybus has arrived in Kabul — and the countdown to one of June’s most anticipated bilateral series has officially begun. What started as a coaching appointment triggered by a T20 World Cup group stage exit is now a 40-player camp, a five-week preparation window, and a series against the world’s second-ranked Test side.

Who Is Richard Pybus? A Coach Who Has Been Here Before

The 61-year-old Englishman who arrived at Kabul International Airport on Saturday is one of international cricket’s most well-travelled coaching figures. His résumé spans four decades on three continents.

Pybus served as Pakistan’s head coach from 1999 to 2003 — guiding them to the 1999 World Cup final — and returned to Pakistan for a second stint in 2011. He took over Bangladesh in 2013, then spent years with West Indies in various capacities: director of cricket, high-performance consultant, and ultimately head coach. During his time with West Indies, his squads won three global T20 trophies in a calendar year.

He was appointed Afghanistan head coach on February 24, 2026, succeeding Jonathan Trott following Afghanistan’s group stage exit from the T20 World Cup 2026, where they lost to New Zealand and South Africa in what was described as the ‘group of death’. Trott had spent four years in the role.

Pybus’s first assignment was a white-ball series against Sri Lanka in the UAE in March — a series that gave him his first look at the squad he would be shaping ahead of the India tour.

The Kabul Camp: 40 Players, One Month, One Target

The camp that begins on Sunday and runs until May 16 is Afghanistan’s most structured pre-series preparation in recent memory. Nearly 40 players will go through rigorous sessions under Pybus’s direct supervision, alongside the ACB’s High-Performance Centre.

On Saturday, Pybus met ACB CEO Naseeb Khan, officials from the selection committee, the international and domestic cricket departments, and the High-Performance Centre. National captains Hashmatullah Shahidi (Test) and Ibrahim Zadran (white-ball) were both in the room, with discussions focused specifically on tactical planning against India.

“During their meeting, the CEO outlined the ACB’s strategic goals and shared high expectations for the future of the national team as the new coach begins his tenure,” the ACB said in a statement.

The Series: India’s First Test Against Afghanistan in Eight Years

The significance of June’s series extends well beyond what the points table or bilateral rankings can capture.

India and Afghanistan have played just one Test match in history — at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in June 2018, Afghanistan’s debut in the format. India won by an innings and 262 runs, with Ravichandran Ashwin taking seven wickets. June 2026 will be only the second time these two nations have met in Test cricket.

The venue for this milestone match — the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh (Mullanpur) — will also be hosting its first-ever red-ball international. That adds another layer of historic significance to what will already be a momentous occasion for Afghanistan cricket.

Full Series Schedule

In addition to this tour, discussions are reportedly ongoing between the ACB and BCCI about a potential three-match T20I series to be hosted by Afghanistan in the UAE later in 2026.

Afghanistan’s Trajectory Heading Into June

Pybus inherits a squad that is immensely talented but has struggled with the gap between its white-ball brilliance and its red-ball capabilities. Afghanistan are a feared T20 side — Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman represent genuine world-class spinners — but they have played only eight Test matches since their debut in 2018 and their Test record reads three wins and five losses.

Hashmatullah Shahidi remains the bedrock of their Test batting. Ibrahim Zadran has been their standout in white-ball cricket, with an ODI average above 50. The month-long camp is specifically designed to address the technical and tactical demands of five-day cricket against a full-strength India.

Pybus’s coaching philosophy — built on clarity of role, aggressive intent and building side-wide belief — was shaped across his years with Pakistan, Bangladesh and West Indies. He arrives in Afghanistan with a blank canvas, a talented group, and eight weeks before the first ball is bowled at Mullanpur.