Afghanistan’s head coach, Jonathan Trott, did not hold back following his team’s semi-final loss against South Africa in the T20 World Cup.
He questioned the pitch used in their T20 World Cup semifinal against South Africa, claiming it was inappropriate for such an important match. The pitch’s variable bounce and seam movement resulted in Afghanistan being bowled out for 56. It was the lowest total in a T20 World Cup quarterfinal.
Opting to bat first, Afghanistan could only score 56 runs, their lowest total in T20 internationals and the lowest in T20 World Cup history. After Afghanistan’s participation in the league ended on Wednesday, head coach Jonathan Trott slammed the ICC, claiming it wasn’t even an “even contest”.
Trott Explains Pitch Conditions
Trott told the reporters at the post-game news conference that he did not want to get himself in trouble. He wanted to emphasize the awful condition of the ground, which was prepared for a match as large as a World Cup semi-final.
“I do not want to get myself into trouble. But, without sounding like ‘sour grapes’, that is hardly the pitch for a World Cup semifinal. Plain and simple. It should be a fair competition. I am not saying it should be entirely flat with no spin or seam movement; however, hitters should not be concerned about going forward and having the ball fly over their heads. You should be certain that you can get past the line or exploit their skills. And T20 is all about attacking, scoring runs, and getting wickets. “I’m not looking to survive,” Trott stated during the press conference.
Trott wanted the pitch to provide something for both his team and South Africa. However, he believes his side was defeated by a surface that favored the opposing team more.
“If the opposition bowls well and puts you in a situation after bowling well and skillfully, that’s fine by them. If we had bowled like South Africa, you could have seen a different second half,” he told reporters.
Trott also discussed the Afghanistan team’s rigorous workload. However, he did not blame the timetable for his team’s humiliating defeat in the semi-finals.
Trott on Exhausting Schedule and Limited Rest
“We just made it back to the hotel at three o’clock and had to leave at 8 pm — five hours later, so we didn’t get much sleep, and the boys were clearly tired and had a lot to absorb both mentally and physically. So it’s completely fresh territory for the players,” Trott added. Having said that, Trott admitted they were outplayed by a formidable South African team.
“When competing in World Cups or tournaments, you cannot have everything your way, and you must struggle and play against the odds, which you have done on occasion and are extremely proud of. But, no, that is not the reason we did not win today. South Africa bowled brilliantly, took advantage of the circumstances, and demonstrated to our youngsters their capabilities. But things didn’t go our way tonight.”
The 43-year-old believed that the semifinal loss would serve as a learning experience for the team, which has progressed dramatically over the last five years.
“We’ve obviously got one better than the previous (ODI) World Cup in November, and it’s just a matter of taking it step by step, and hopefully the batters will learn from today.” he ended. Well, it was a bad day for AFG. But they should think about their achievements in the current World Cup rather than their failure.