Former Australian batsman Dean Jones confirmed his appointment as Afghanistan’s interim Head Coach for the tour of Hong Kong by taking to his official twitter handle. But fellow Australian and a former opener Mark Waugh gave an epic reply which should go down in the history as one of the wittiest in the social media.
Taking to his twitter handle, Jones wrote:
“I am pleased to announce that I will be Afghanistan interim Head Coach for their Tour to Hong Kong.”
Mark Waugh gave a savage reply and trolled him by saying “@ACBofficials just had the one applicant did they”. Jones got back to Waugh by asking him to concentrate on the selection duty with the Australian team. “Funny bugger!! Glad you could play! Concentrate on the selection I reckon,” Jones wrote.
@ACBofficials I am pleased to announce that I will be Afghanistan interim Head Coach for their Tour to Hong Kong #shouldbefun
— Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) October 9, 2017
@ICC @ACBofficials just had the one applicant did they.?
— Mark Waugh (@juniorwaugh349) October 9, 2017
Funny bugger!! Glad you could play! Concentrate on selection I reckon ? https://t.co/3FyFgxf2L3
— Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) October 9, 2017
Meanwhile, it must be learnt that Afghanistan was granted Test status in June which put them in the same bracket with 11 other teams permitted to play the longest format of the game. The Asian side will meet Hong Kong from October 20 in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, a first-class tournament performed by the associate members of ICC.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board conceded the fact that the contract of Dean Jones can be extended depending on the views of both parties following the completion of the tour of Hong Kong.
“Both sides will consider a long-term coaching agreement after the tour of Hong Kong,” the Afghanistan board said in a statement.
Afghanistan has improved as a team by leaps and bounds in the last few years and some of their players have raised their hands and performed for the team on a consistent basis. They have some exceptional batsmen and bowlers in their ranks but the fielding standards need to be lifted for them to compete with world-class teams on a consistent basis. Leg-spinner Rashid Khan has all the prospects to become a future great.