NED vs AFG, ICC World Cup 2023: Afghanistan coach Trott opts to stay in the present, lauds Jadeja’s contribution

Trott, who took over as Afghanistan coach last year, credited his batters’ ability to mix caution and aggression for their success.

Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott is not letting all the talk of his side’s potential semifinal entry in the ongoing ODI World Cup get into his head.

Speaking ahead of his side’s match against the Netherlands in Lucknow on Friday, Trott stressed on the need to stay in the present.

“We are not going to make the semifinal by just talking about it. We have to play good cricket. So as long as we play good cricket, we’ll give ourselves the best chance of being able to do that. So that starts tomorrow, and how well we start tomorrow is going to be crucial as how well we finish,” said Trott.

A cornerstone of Afghanistan’s success in the tournament has been how composed its batting has been. Trott, who took over as the Afghan coach last year, credited his batters’ ability to mix caution and aggression for their success.

“I think Afghanistan [players] naturally grow up playing a lot more T20 cricket format than any other. It’s about adding to that sort of base of T20 skills. We try to enable batters and help them grow the game so they can have both facets of the game. Pressure, soaking it up, rotation of strike, and obviously accelerating and boundary hitting,” pointed out Trott.

When enquired about his preferred team combination for the Netherlands match, Trott opted to hold his cards close to his chest.

“I think we are going to try and pick the side for the conditions, the best side that we can pick. So, we’ll just have to see how that shapes up tomorrow when we get to the ground,” said the 42-year-old former England international.

Trott also spoke about the contributions Ajay Jadeja has made to the Afghan team as mentor.

“Ajay brings a lot of experience, having played a lot of cricket in India. He’s always a good sounding board about conditions, venues and other subcontinent teams. He has a lot of experience in that way, having played a lot against different countries.

“So, he brings his vast experience not just to the players, but also to myself as a coach. He is good... when it comes to decision-making and sort of planning going forward for each game,” said Trott.