"If people are going to have to play like that to beat us, you can't complain too much" - Trott on Maxwell's masterclass against Afghanistan
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott praised his side's ability to put dominant opposition on the ropes and get the best out of them. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side had a landmark 2023 ODI World Cup campaign where they won four matches in the league stages to secure qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Over the course of the campaign, Afghanistan defeated heavyweights like Pakistan and England, and almost got the better of eventual champions, Australia. The Men in Yellow were reduced to 91-7 in the 19th over while chasing the 292-run target set by Afghanistan.
The subcontinent side were inching towards a famous win at the Wankhede Stadium, but a historic double hundred by Glenn Maxwell resulted in Australia chasing down the total with more than three overs to spare.
Opining that it is a matter of pride if the opposition has to dish out such exemplary performance to defeat Afghanistan, Trott said in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo:
"The Australia game was tough and we saw something very, very special from Maxwell to beat us. If people are going to have to play like that to beat us, then as long as we are doing as much as we can, you can't complain too much. But I still complain a little bit!"
Afghanistan's triumph over the 2019 World Cup winners England was one of the defining moments of the entire tournament. Jos Buttler and company crumbled to 215 all out while chasing 285 in Delhi to hand Afghanistan a famous win.
Terming the triumph over England as the 'perfect game', Trott said:
"I think it was just the perfect game for us, with the way we bowled with the new ball, and with how the spinners bowled obviously. The win - and the manner in which they won what was only their second victory in a World Cup ever - gave the players a huge amount of confidence."
Afghanistan were briefly in contention to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition. However, their hopes ended with their loss to Australia as well as New Zealand's triumph against Sri Lanka.
"I know from now that Afghanistan is not going to be seen as just another match" - Jonathan Trott
Afghanistan's growth is evident just by the comparison of their recent World Cup campaigns. They had won only one match collectively across the 2015 and 2019 World Cup events but went on to win four in the 2023 edition. Their automatic qualification for ICC events in recent ICC events also speaks volumes.
Stating that no team in the world will ever think of taking Afghanistan lightly in the future, Trott said:
"I would just like to see them building on the success of this World Cup. Stage by stage getting better and more competitive. I know from now that Afghanistan is not going to be seen as [just another] match, they are going to be seen as a competitor and are never going to be taken lightly."
Trott continued:
"The one thing I would say is, we need to make sure that we start the T20 World Cup having taken the positives from what we learned [during the ODI World Cup], and deal with the pressure and the anticipation. Oppositions are going to be more ready for us. They're going [to] be more wary, and they're going to expect us to play better cricket."
Afghanistan finished at the bottom of their group at the 2022 T20 World Cup without a single win to their name.
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