Follow UsAfghanistan have already cemented their place in the Super 8s of the 2024 T20 World Cup, qualifying for the second round of an ICC event for the first time in their history. Ahead of their last group game against the West Indies on April 17 (Monday), Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said the players have learned from their past experience.
“I think that's the most important thing is learning from previous experiences and as long as the team's getting better and better and it's my job as a coach and the coaching staff to prepare the guys and see improvement. Luckily, we've played some good cricket and things have gone our way, but there's going to be times I know this World Cup where it gets tough and we got to pull through those tough times,” said Trott.
Afghanistan have already hammered New Zealand, Uganda and Papua New Guinea and are currently at the top of the Group C table. They will now be up against the West Indies who themselves have won all three matches and are unbeaten. Trott said it’s a “nice feeling” that they are already through to the next round and the West Indies will be a great challenge ahead of the Super 8s.
“3 from 3 is where we want to be, heading into the big game tomorrow night. But we know from here on in it's going to be big games, important games, so to be able to have a group game but also sort of leading into the Super 8s knowing that we're already there, it's a nice feeling and it'll be a good test for us tomorrow and our skills and a good preparation for Super 8s.
“The West Indies side is very dangerous, we saw the way they played against New Zealand, We saw how they beat South Africa in a series. And they've certainly been playing a lot of good white-ball cricket recently, so we know it's going to be a great test and a great match tomorrow. And I'm fully expecting to be a good crowd here supporting the West Indies side and that's what makes World Cups great.”
The Afghanistan players play franchise cricket all around the globe and Trott feels every player comes back with some good changes and some bad and it’s important to hold onto the former ones. “I think the more exposure players have got to the IPL and different franchises where there's pressure all the time in this format of the game, I think that'll only do us well and serve us well going forward.
“I know that the players - and we had a lot of players at the IPL every time they come back, I can see a little bit of a difference or a change every time they go away to franchise good and bad changes. It's just about you know holding on to those good ones and you know making sure that we address things that need to be addressed.”
Lastly, talking about the St Lucia surface, Trott said: “I did watch last night's match and you saw some very good cricket shots with the ball traveling a lot further than that has in the last couple of games. The keeper was certainly taking the ball a lot higher and it was carrying through nicely. I think that suits both teams and I'm sure the batsman will be licking their lips to get on a wicket where there's a bit of pace and you can get value for your shot.
“But with a full understanding of this might be the best wicket and then ready for whatever conditions we play on going forward in the Super 8s. We obviously have Barbados and St. Vincent and looking very much forward to that. But at the moment our focus is solely here on this match and getting it right and winning.”
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