"We were never communicated those calculations" - Jonathan Trott admits Afghanistan were unaware of exact equation amid loss to Sri Lanka
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott has admitted that they weren't aware of the permutations and calculations due to which they missed out on a Super 4 birth at the Asia Cup 2023. Trott revealed that the precise calculations were never communicated to them.
The Asian nation failed to qualify for the Super 4 stage of the tournament, falling short by six runs, and eventually lost by two to Sri Lanka. At the end of the 37th over of the innings, they were 289-8, meaning they required three runs off one ball to go past Sri Lanka's net run-rate. Afghanistan could still have pipped the Island nation had they reached 293 after 37.2 overs, 294 after 37.3, 295 after 37.5, 296 after 38 overs, or 297 after 38.1.
At the post-match presser, the former England batter said they were only informed about reaching the target in 37.1 overs.
"We were never communicated those calculations," he said. "All we were communicated was we needed to win in 37.1 overs. We weren't told what the overs in which we could get 295 or 297. [That we could win in] 38.1 overs was never communicated to us."
No.11 Fazalhaq Farooqi could have achieved the above-mentioned targets had he struck a boundary off the second ball of the 38th over, or a maximum in the next two or three deliveries. Instead, he blocked two deliveries from Dhananjaya de Silva and was out lbw while trying to play another dot ball.
"We got some things horribly wrong" - Jonathan Trott
Trott refused to hold this one reason responsible for their loss and felt they made a handful of other mistakes. The 42-year-old added:
"I don't think there's one reason we lost the game. There are areas of the game we could have done better [in] and that goes for today's game and the one against Bangladesh. We got some things horribly wrong in a few areas and it's cost us. It'd be nice if we'd bowled them out a bit cheaper. But it wasn't to be."
Mohammad Nabi provided Afghanistan with much-needed impetus in the middle of the innings, scoring 65 off 32 deliveries, with six fours and five towering sixes.