Kabir Khan quits as Afghanistan coach

Former Pakistan fast bowler Kabir Khan has resigned as coach of the Afghanistan national side stating that the job had taken a toll on his family life. However, he has said he could continue to help the team in another capacity.

Kabir said he had decided to resign after constant travel had affected his family life. Kabir had stated that he wanted to quit after the World T20 in March this year but had agreed to stay on for a short period after a request from the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

"I have resigned from the coach's post," Kabir told AFP. "The simple reason is that my family was suffering from my being away on tours and I was not enjoying coaching. I had informed them [Afghanistan Cricket Board] a month ago but we reached the agreement a few days back and they accepted my stance."

Kabir's second stint as Afghanistan coach - he was earlier the coach from 2008 to 2010 - began in December 2011 and his three-year contract was due to run out this year. In his first assignment with Afghanistan, he guided the side from the lowest division of the World Cricket League to ODI status in 2009 and a maiden World T20 appearance in 2010.

Following a disagreement with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Kabir quit as coach in 2010, after which he was appointed coach of the United Arab Emirates team. He returned to coach the Afghanistan side in December 2011, and after his return, Afghanistan qualified for the World T20 in 2012. In 2013, Afghanistan beat Kenya and finished second in the World Cricket League Championship, sealing a place in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, their maiden appearance in the tournament.

Prior to the 2015 World Cup, Afghanistan are scheduled to participate in the Asian Games, which start later this month, followed by a familiarisation tour of Australia organised by the ICC, where they will play a series of matches against local sides. They will also play the Asian Cricket Council Championship later in the year.

Kabir was confident his absence would not affect the team too much during the World Cup: "I think qualifying for the World Cup was more important than playing it so I don't think my not being there will affect the performance."