Trott hopes competing against the bigger nations will have a knock-on effect

Afghanistan registered a memorable victory over England on Sunday (October 15) to get off the mark in the 2023 World Cup. This is just the second victory for Afghanistan in World Cups, with the first one coming against Scotland in 2015.

Speaking of the win, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott says he hopes playing in such games will have a knock-on effect on other games beyond the World Cup as well.

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"This is significant, certainly in the manner and by the margin as well. And the way that they played, at no time really, I think when we were batting, did we think we were running away with the game? We thought we had a decent total, but we had to bowl well and field well and the guys did that," Trott said after the match.

"So, I think it's very pleasing and there's a lot of confidence that will hopefully come from this when competing against the bigger nations and it'll have a knock-on effect to all the other games, but not only in this World Cup, but for the future as well. 

"Just what Afghanistan cricket can achieve. Hopefully this will be the sort of kick-start it is because I know the next match, our opposition certainly will be - I'm not saying they weren't looking at us closely, but they might have a look at the tape again but we respect every opposition and I say this to the guys but we don't fear anyone every game we are here to play, we are here to, I believe win."

Trott was part of the England side when they lost to Ireland in the 2011 World Cup. He has already been on the receiving end of such upsets. 

"I remember. I think so. I think that's the beauty of the World Cup, isn't it? That's what cricket's about, and it's - I said earlier, this game, it sort of pushes and pulls you so much emotionally as a player and as a coach because you want the players to do so well because you know what they can achieve," Trott said recalling that match in Bengaluru.

Trott also believes that Afghanistan showed great game awareness, especially when Harry Brook was going all guns blazing. "I think the 50 overs, there was times that it was ebbing and flowing, but we held our nerve. And that's the thing. Sometimes, when we've got in positions to win, we haven't been able to capitalize," Trott said.

"So, we had - Brook was playing fantastically, and we managed to sort of nullify him a little bit and try and bowl at the other one. Just the cricketing awareness, that's the type of things when you're playing big games like this, and you win big games, you remember the things you did well. 

"And I know a lot of the captain and the bowlers, they'll take a lot of things like that from it. And when they're in the position again, hopefully under pressure or the expectation is they can win a game for their side. You know, they'll know what to do, and they'll know how to execute."

Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman shared six between them, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz's 57-ball 80 set the tone for the team, allowing Afghanistan to post 284.

"The shots that he plays and the start that he can give us. Often, I say to Gurbaz, if you're 30 or 40, I'm not worried at all because you can catch it up at any stage, and we can see certainly. On good wickets opening the batting and the balls fairly hard, you know he plays spin, and he plays seam so well the and the longer he bats more the chance we have of winning, that's what I say to him as well," the 42-year-old head coach said.  

"So, you know, fantastic talent, a real interesting character and for him, the amount of talent he has, certainly the sky is the limit it's just about him getting the best out of himself day in, day out."

Reflecting on the loss, England captain Jos Buttler said that the dew did not come into play as much as he expected. England had won the toss and had a bowl, keeping that in mind.

"We always want to play positive and be aggressive, and some days you don't play as well as you want to. Though Afghanistan built good pressure on us, maybe the wicket didn't play exactly how we thought it would play, and maybe the dew didn't come in as much as we thought as well," Buttler said.

"Obviously, our spinners bowled really well there today, and Afghanistan have some brilliant spinners, so that was always going to be tough, but we just didn't manage to get the partnerships going that we wanted."

Chris Woakes has not been in the best of forms this World Cup, and on Sunday, he conceded 41 runs in just four overs. Asked if his senior bowler's form was a concern, Buttler said, "He's probably not performed as we know he can, but he's a class player, he's been the leader of our attack for a very long time. He's performed extremely well over a long period of time, and they're the guys you want in your team, and you keep backing them."

Afghanistan now head to Chennai for their next two games, the first of which will be against New Zealand on Wednesday (October 18). England, on the other hand, will hope to return to winning ways against South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Saturday (October 21).