- By Manik Sharma
- Sat, 11 Nov 2023 02:35 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In the lead-up to the Cricket World Cup 2023, few would have predicted Afghanistan to contend for the top spots. However, defying expectations, the Afghan team not only secured victories but also gave close competition to leading teams, narrowly missing the knockout stages.
Participating in only their third ODI World Cup, Afghanistan came within touching distance of a historic semi-final entry, triumphing over three former world champions: Pakistan, England, and Sri Lanka. In the last two editions, Afghanistan had only one win in 18 matches they played.
The 23-year-old all-rounder, Azmatullah Omarzai, emerged as a standout performer for the Afghanistan side, amassing 353 runs and securing seven wickets. On the other hand, Ibrahim Zadran became the first player to score a World Cup century for the nation.
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With four wins, Afghanistan secured a spot in the prestigious Champions Trophy 2025, marking their debut appearance in this tournament. The key man behind Afghanistan's success was their head coach, Jonathan Trott.
Trott expressed a mix of pride and regret over the Afghan team’s World Cup journey. Despite securing notable wins against former champions England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, he lamented missed opportunities. While acknowledging the four victories as significant, Trott highlighted the games where they fell short, revealing a sense of disappointment.
"If you'd said we won four games you probably would have taken it - especially after losing the first game against Bangladesh," PTI quoted Trott as saying after during the post-match press conference.
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"But it's still a case of sitting here today thinking there's a few other games that we left out there that we could have perhaps won. So as a coach and as a member of the team, we're disappointed with that, but you can't have everything. You can't win always. But I see some good improvement," the Afghanistan coach added.
Trott noted the team's ability to comfortably chase targets, underscoring their adaptability in winning matches through different strategies, not solely relying on their bowling strength.
"Normally, with the side, you'd say bowling would be the strength," Trott said.
"So, you'd try and put the pressure on the bowlers - but to be able to knock off targets in pretty comfortable fashion and responsible fashion certainly shows that we're not sort of one way inclined to win cricket games. We can win in various ways," he added.
Looking ahead, Trott aspired to expand their player pool for greater depth and versatility in future tournaments.