John Mooney: “We didn’t see them coming”

Part One of an interview with the former Afghanistan fielding coach on his time with the side, his time playing against them for Ireland and his current path which has brought him to the IPL and beyond. 

After 17 years it’s still up on The Guardian’s website almost to mark the historical significance of it: ‘Ireland rocked by Afghanistan defeat in ICC World Cup qualifier’. It’s a short match report without quotes or a full scorecard, but when was the last time The Guardian covered an Irish team playing in a qualifier? 

The match in question, which took place in South Africa at the 2009 qualifier event for the 2011 World Cup, was officially the first time Ireland and Afghanistan met on the field. Ireland, the leading associate cricket nation at the time, were previously unbeaten in five group games but came unstuck against the new challenger by 22 runs.  

Back then Afghanistan had remarkably won 15 games over the previous eleven months at three lower-ranking qualifying tournaments to reach this stage. They only lost twice during this period. 

Both sides had actually first met in a warm-up game in Benoni just two weeks prior which Ireland won by six wickets though that wasn’t an official match.  

“They didn’t realise we rotated our squad as much as we did in the tournament, but that win really gave them the shot in the arm to say that they could go on and do what they have done”.

John Mooney, then Irish all-rounder and later to become Afghanistan’s fielding coach remembers that day as a distinct sliding doors moment. Ireland chasing 219 for victory lost their last five wickets for just ten runs with Hamid Hassan (5-25) the key destroyer. 

“I’d probably change the team that day even though I’d have lost a cap. But we certainly opened the door for them to believe they could beat us. They didn’t always beat us going forward but they always had belief”.

Mooney can now present a very interesting perspective on that particular day having been in both camps. He was very much a crucial part of the Irish side which impressed at Men’s ODI World Cups in 2007, 2011 and 2015 but also put in dominant performances at Associate tournaments. 

In 2018 he then became Afghanistan’s fielding coach under Phil Simmons as head coach, which proved a good fit as the two had a close relationship from the Trinidadian’s time coaching the Ireland Men’s side. What was it like stepping into Afghanistan’s dressing room after facing many of the same players on the field? 

“Of course the players had respect and there was a little bit of fear there too. But you know I had a lot of respect for them as well - so it ran both ways. We had a great working relationship”.

During that period Afghanistan qualified for the 2019 ODI World Cup which Ireland missed out on though both teams had just received Full Member status on the same day in 2017. Mooney however got the opportunity to work with a young Rashid Khan, Ibrahim Zadran, among others.

There had been problems too, notably a difficult campaign at the 2019 World Cup in which selection issues eventually led to Phil Simmons walking away after no wins across the tournament. A second stint as fielding coach with Afghanistan though did eventually come up for Mooney after cricket first stopped during the Covid pandemic. 

“For them to ask me back, that was probably the biggest compliment I’ve received from Afghanistan Cricket”. 

Since 2021 there has been an extra dimension to deal with: the return of the Taliban who militarily seized control of Afghanistan after the sudden withdrawal of U.S forces in August of that year. The Taliban’s ultra-conservative ideology has severely restricted women’s rights and freedoms in particular with widespread barriers to education, employment, movement, public participation and personal autonomy.

“From my side, as an Irishman and a European, working for a country like that - basically I was there to do a job”. Afghanistan have also never hosted international cricket due to security reasons meaning much of the team’s operations take place in the U.A.E or India. It’s unlikely to host in the future. 

“I got a great bit of advice years ago which was always just stay in my lane when it comes to coaching. I was very much the fielding coach”. 

How were all of these issues in the country approached by the team?

“The players wouldn’t divulge too much to you but you would have to try to understand your players, the management and what is going on as much as possible. There’s always something happening in Afghanistan”. 

On a recent tour to Zimbabwe that came to a head for the team when the government shut down connectivity in the country after bombings meaning players and management didn’t know if their families were safe or not. 

“Look I’m not going to tell you there aren't conversations happening around the team about what’s going on. It might not have been the first thing we’d talk about but it would naturally be on everyone’s mind”.

Towards the end of his international playing career Mooney spoke very openly about his mental health struggles, even appearing on RTÉ’s The Saturday Night Show to be interviewed by Brendan O'Connor on the topic. 

Coaching around the world on tour, then in the U.A.E and India as well as recent franchise roles most notably at this year’s Indian Premier League plus The Hundred can present its challenges in particular with mental health. 

“Some people will reach out to me from around the cricket world, people I’ve played against, met on tour and they might ask you for five minutes. I certainly think information is being spread around and there’s help out there”.

As a sport, cricket is known for being mentally demanding. It can also be isolating with its individual disciplines, not to mention the highs and lows of high performance. But cricket is adapting especially as franchises look to get the most out of players. 

“Teams want everyone in a good place. Because ultimately they need everybody fit, well and healthy. It’s certainly a much bigger topic than what it was 20 years ago”.

17 years ago Ireland maybe didn’t see Afghanistan coming at that qualifier game in Krugersdorp. But after a remarkable two-nil T20I series win in June against India maybe the question is whether the visitors know what exactly to expect from this confident Irish side in Gary Wilson’s first assignment as head coach. 

This article was originally published on the Substack: Green Wicket Special