Lalchand Rajput has not been given an extension by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) after the end of his one-year contract, and the board has invited applications for the post of Head Coach of the Afghanistan cricket team.

It has come as a surprise as the team had produced good results under him but still, they have opted for a change in backroom staff. In fact, Afghanistan fulfilled its dream of being a Test nation under Rajput only, but it has had nothing to with his contract. The team would soon play its first-ever five-day game, and the irony will be that there will be no Lalchand Rajput there.

“ABC would like to thank Mr. Rajput for his satisfactory performance during his time as Afghanistan’s Head Coach,” a statement read. “ABC is currently in the process of recruiting a new coach for the National Cricket Team,” a statement from the board read as.

Rajput, who succeeded former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq in the role, kicked off his journey as a coach with a win against Scotland. Mixed results followed, but an emphatic win against Ireland on their home ground in Noida was their best period under him. Though the team lost the T20I series against Windies, they marked a comeback in the five-match ODI series with both the teams registering two wins apiece, with the final ODI being washed out due to rain.

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It was under Rajput only when for the first time, Afghanistan players were included in IPL auction and in fact, two of them viz Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi also got buyers. Rashid shone in the T20 tournament and became a star of IPL 2017, which made him the talk of the town.

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It is to be noted the Rajput showed interest in Indian coaching job when BCCI advertised for the Head coach of the team, which can be one of the reasons for ACB not renewing his contract as this might have indicated to the board that Rajput is either looking for a change.

The board will soon announce the new Head coach for the team before they step into the new world by making their first ever appearance in Test cricket.

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