Former England batsman Jonathan Trott has been appointed Afghanistan’s head coach and will join the squad during their tour of Ireland next month, the country’s cricket board has said.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had named another Englishman, Graham Thorpe, as the head coach in March but was looking for someone to replace him after Thorpe fell seriously ill.

“I’m honoured and excited to have the opportunity to take one of international cricket’s most exciting teams through what is a huge year for their development as a team,” Trott was quoted as saying in an ACB statement on Friday.

“I can’t wait to get to work with a group of players who are clearly capable of generating results in a style that will make the people of Afghanistan proud.”

South Africa-born Trott, 41, played 52 tests before retiring in 2015.

He has since worked as England’s batting coach and a consultant with Scotland during the T20 World Cup last year.

Afghanistan will play the first of their five T20 matches in Ireland on Aug. 9.