Afghanistan's newly appointed batting coach Toby Radford joins The Cerebral Cricketer fresh off a win in Dubai, straight after a fast turnaround from the Bangladesh Premier League.

In this episode, Toby breaks down what he looks for in elite batting across formats, from T20 game awareness and middle overs planning, to the technical "non negotiables" he believes most world class players share.

We go deep on alignment, balance, triggers, playing late, soft hands, and the small details that can be the difference between being slightly out of form and back in rhythm.

We also get practical on how those ideas translate in the nets and in match scenarios, Toby talks through the "option + execution" test he uses for every shot, and why T20 scoring can still come from proper cricket shots and low risk areas rather than slogging.

What you'll learn

• How franchise coaching differs from international and county setups, what actually gets coached when players are in and out quickly

• T20 batting on slow turners vs true wickets, how to maximise the new ball and survive the middle overs

• "Option + execution", Toby's simple framework for every shot selection decision

• The alignment blueprint, head over feet, hands close, and why so many dismissals start with posture and early movement

• Triggers that work, triggers that ruin your setup, and how timing your movement changes everything

• Playing late drills, including a simple machine setup that forces better timing and control

Toby Radford is a former first class cricketer for Middlesex and Sussex, who later became Head Coach at Middlesex and Head Coach at Glamorgan.

He has worked internationally as West Indies batting coach, then held senior development roles as Head of High Performance at the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Batting Coach at the Pakistan Cricket Board High Performance Centre.

He has been the Head Coach of Dhaka Capitals and has been appointed Afghanistan's batting coach.

Timestamps

0:00 Intro
0:04 Toby's Afghanistan appointment
0:59 BPL to Dubai turnaround, win vs West Indies
1:34 Franchise cricket pace, what gets coached early
11:13 Option + execution, shot selection framework
15:14 Alignment, the straight line concept
17:19 Balance, head over feet, 60/40 weight cue
18:19 Stance width, white ball vs red ball setups
19:55 Foot movement, head goes first
21:18 Playing late drill, bowling machine setup
23:08 Unorthodox players, still the same fundamentals
27:11 Saif Hassan case study, balance at ball release
33:39 Trigger movement, timing, keep it minimal
38:04 Backlift and toe position, slower vs bouncier pitches
39:59 Coaching the short ball, what good looks like
41:56 Soft hands vs hard hands, shifting gears
45:33 Underrated batters to watch
48:57 Wrap up