Former county cricket stalwart Andy Pick has been named as bowling coach of Afghanistan, six weeks away from the Asian minnows making their World Cup debut.

The 51-year-old Pick played almost 200 matches for Nottinghamshire, ending his career with 495 first class wickets before going on to work with the Canada and United States cricket associations.

He will join up with the Afghanistan squad in Dubai next week where they will play four practice games against fellow World Cup qualifiers Scotland and Ireland.

Afghanistan are in Group A at the World Cup along with Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England, Scotland and Bangladesh.

They open their campaign against Bangladesh in Canberra on February 18.

Mohammad Nabi has been named the captain of Afghanistan’s 15-man squad for the World Cup with the core of the outfit centred on experienced players like Samiullah Shenwari, Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Mirwais Ashraf and Hamid Hassan.

Afghanistan’s World Cup squad: Mohammad Nabi (captain), Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Afsar Zazai (wkt), Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Mirwais Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani.