Giant-killers Afghanistan Trotting towards their goal

Pune, October 31

Afghanistan’s superlative display has been the story of the 2023 World Cup and former England batsman Jonathan Trott has been its mastermind, lending a certain method to the madness of the rag-tag bunch of players at his disposal.

Afghanistan have long been perceived as a team built around their enviable bunch of crafty spinners, while their batting line-up was nearly entirely made of reckless sloggers.

They managed one win in their World Cup debut in 2015 and none in 2019, which only strengthened the perception that the 50-over format was probably not their cup of tea. It took three giant-killing acts by Hashmatullah Shahidi and his men to turn that notion on its head and Afghanistan now have outright chances of making the semifinals of the 10-team tournament.

They stunned holders England in New Delhi and proved it was no fluke with comprehensive victories against 1992 winners Pakistan and 1996 champions Sri Lanka to move to the fifth place on the points table.

The clinical manner of their chase and the comprehensive nature of their victories belie their stature as a so-called minnows of the game and their fans have demanded their wins should no longer be termed as ‘upset’.

Trott, who took over the coaching reins in July, said it was the result of some serious hard work to get their batting and basics right for the tournament.

“The way that we train, the way we think about our cricket, certainly with batting, … we’re starting to see also the confidence in the players, in their own ability,” said Trott. “There’s such an amount of talent, and we’ve just given a bit of structure, a bit of a game plan, understanding what makes them the best players that they can be. And so, when it comes to matchday, it’s not just sort of rock up and it’s left to luck.”

The consistency of the Afghan top-order has been a revelation but Trott has already set them their next goal.

“Nobody’s got 100 yet, so that’s the next challenge,” he said. — Reuters