Trott reveals biggest learning for Afghanistan heading into India clash

On June 17 (Monday) in St Lucia, Afghanistan’s hope of finishing the group stages with a 100% record was dashed by hosts West Indies, who put up a dominant showing to hand the Rashid Khan-led side a thumping 104-run defeat, the second-worst in their history. 

The defeat did not have any consequences thanks to the game being a dead rubber, but the onus is now on Afghanistan to recover from the hammering quickly, with them scheduled to play their first Super 8s clash in less than three days’ time, against India in Barbados.

The team’s head coach Jonathan Trott made it clear that his side have one major thing to work on, heading into the India clash, which is learning to minimise damage in ‘bad’ overs. Against the Windies, Afghanistan bowled three separate overs that went for 17+ runs. The fourth over bowled by Azmatullah Omarzai went for an eye-watering 36, the joint-most expensive over in T20WC history.

“We have some areas to work on [before the India clash], such as just being able to pull overs back,” Trott said after the West Indies defeat.

“If we don't start an over well, being able to get out of an over and try and stop that. Today we had two overs in total, went for 60 runs, and that swings the game massively. The next takes a lot of pressure off the next 18 overs so though that's the reality that's the black and white of the game and yeah with batting I'm disappointed and we couldn't have got a bit closer.”

On the night, Afghanistan were blown away by a Nicholas Pooran storm, with the left-hander smashing his highest ever T20I score (98). But, Pooran factor aside, Trott felt Afghanistan lost the game in the powerplay. 

While Afghanistan conceded 92 runs with the ball in the powerplay — the most expensive powerplay in T20WC history — they only managed 45 in the first six overs with bat in hand.

“I think when somebody gets 97 of 50 balls, I think it's always going to be quite a factor. There's obviously other things that we could have done better, especially with batting as well, but that certainly helps the team, certainly when setting a target and chasing a target like 220 is always going to be tricky,” Trott said. 

“So we needed things to go away in the power play and we didn't have a good power play either so that when you have a swing of 92 in the power play there were and I think we were we were 45 - that's a huge swing.”

Trott claimed West Indies were also way smarter than his side when it came to utilising the wind factor well — even when hitting towards the longer boundary. The Afghanistan head coach hoped for his side to right the wrongs in the clash against India in two days’ time.

“I think we saw the West Indies players use the wind factor really well. I mean, the wind was to the bigger, much bigger boundary and we're still able to clear it well. I think maybe we could have bowled a little bit better and get them hitting into, hitting the other way. 

“When we know, they were trying to target the hitting with the wind. And that's going to be key also going into Barbados with the wind there and that's something we're certainly going to look at and hopefully get right.”

In the Super 8s, Afghanistan have been drawn alongside India, Australia and Bangladesh. The Afghans are aiming to make the final four of a major event for the first time in their history. They fell agonisingly short in the 50-over World Cup last year, being blown away by a Glenn Maxwell double hundred that ended up sealing their fate. 

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