The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has hired former Irish all-rounder John Mooney as fielding coach of the national team and Australian Nirmalan Thanabalasingam as the new physiotherapist.
Both specialists have joined Afghan Atalan for the ongoing training and preparation camp ahead of the upcoming T20I fixtures, ACB said in a statement.
It said John Mooney has represented Ireland in 91 international matches, including three ICC Cricket World Cups (2007, 2011 and 2015) and two ICC Men’s T20 World Cups.
He holds Level 1, 2 and 3 coaching certificates from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and previously served as fielding coach of Afghanistan’s national side from 2018 to 2019.
Mooney has also worked with the West Indies team in 2019 and, since January this year, has been a relief coach for Ireland’s women’s national team.
Nirmalan Thanabalasingam brings strong educational and professional credentials in physiotherapy and sports science.
He earned his Master of Physiotherapy in 2010, following a Bachelor of Applied Science in Exercise and Sports Science in 2008, both from the University of Sydney.
A registered practitioner with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia and an active member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA), Nirmalan has a particular interest in treating sports injuries and exercise-based rehabilitation.
Since 2018, he has served as senior physiotherapist at Concord Sports Medicine. Internationally, he has been team physiotherapist for the Desert Vipers in the International League T20 (ILT20) since 2020.
Between March 2017 and June 2018, he worked as High Performance Training & Rehabilitation Manager for Sri Lanka Cricket.
His wide-ranging experience at the elite level also includes roles with Cricket NSW, Rangpur Riders (BPL), Montreal Tigers (GT20 – Canada), ICC World XI, Sydney Thunder (BBL), and the West Harbour Rugby Union Club.
Currently, Afghanistan are training in Abu Dhabi as part of their preparation for the Tri-Nation T20I Series, featuring Pakistan and hosts UAE, as well as the ACC Men’s T20I Asia Cup 2025.
kk/ma
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