Follow UsAfghanistan, who were thought to be a dark horse going into their tournament opener clash against South Africa in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, got thrashed by 104 runs on February 21 (Friday) at the National Stadium in Karachi.
They had earlier beaten South Africa 2-1 in an ODI series in the UAE in November 2024. So what went wrong that they succumbed to such a heavy defeat in conditions more friendly to them than their opponents?
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott thought that apart from the failure in their bowling department and the inability of the batters to lay a foundation for the chase, SA20, South Africa’s franchise tournament, probably played a hand in diffusing the in-game rivalry, with plenty of Afghan players sharing dressing rooms with the Proteas players not too long ago.
Speaking to the press after the defeat, the Englishman said, “I'm not quite sure whether it's a pro or a con really, but it's quite difficult to get that rivalry going when last week some players were playing in the same team together, or this week they're playing against each other," Trott said .
“Today, a lot of these players have played together in franchises in the SA20. It's always tricky where the line is between rivalry or friendship on and off the field,” he added.
Trott acknowledged the huge crowd support that the Afghan team got in Karachi despite it not being their home ground and also hoped that the same or even more number of people would be present for their clashes against England and Australia in Lahore.
“Support is great. I think the guys enjoy support wherever they go, certainly in the UAE or here. So hopefully we'll get more of that in Lahore, and it'll spur the guys on. We know we've got to pull our socks up and play a lot better against England on the 26th and against Australia on the 28th,” he said.