(Source X)
Coach Jonathan Trott believes Afghanistan enters Wednesday’s T20 World Cup semi-final against South Africa with a fresh perspective, unburdened by past setbacks unlike the often-troubled Proteas.
Afghanistan will make their first appearance in the semi-finals of any World Cup, which Trott sees as a significant boost for the team.
In contrast, South Africa, despite winning the 1998 Champions Trophy, have yet to secure a major global title. They have faced criticism for faltering in crucial moments, such as the infamous run-out against Australia in the 1999 World Cup semi-finals and misjudging rain rules against Sri Lanka in 2003, adding to their history of disappointments on the big stage.
“We go into the semi-final with no scarring or no history with regards to semi-finals. This is uncharted territory for us,” said Trott, the former Ashes-winning England batsman who was born and raised in South Africa.
“We’re just going to go out there and give it our all. There’s no preconceived ideas on it all, or history of failure or success in semi-finals in past years.
“For us it’s a new challenge and I think that makes us dangerous in the semi-finals as a side with nothing to lose and obviously a lot of pressure on the opposition.”
South Africa has previously triumphed over Afghanistan in their only two other T20 encounters—by a margin of 59 runs in Barbados during the 2010 T20 World Cup and by 37 runs in Mumbai six years later.
The Proteas have maintained an unbeaten record in this World Cup, winning all seven matches so far. However, their journey has been fraught with close calls, notably recovering from 12-4 against the Netherlands to win by four wickets and narrowly defeating Nepal by one run, averting a potential upset. In the Super Eights, they edged past England by a mere seven runs.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan started with a defeat against India but bounced back with an impressive 21-run victory over Australia. They secured their spot in the semi-finals with a tense eight-run win against Bangladesh.
Jonathan Trott, reflecting on leading Afghanistan into the semi-finals, described the experience as “surreal.” Since taking over as coach in July 2022, the 43-year-old has forged strong bonds with the team, culminating in a celebratory moment where he was carried off by players after the rain-affected victory over Bangladesh in Saint Vincent.
“When I took over, I was astounded by the talent that I saw,” added Trott.
“There was a certain rawness to it all and no real structure to how the game was played or thought about.
“I’ve just tried to add here and there. At no stage have I tried to clip anybody’s wings. I’m just trying to make the bow of the arrow even stronger so that they can go for longer, win more games and shoot for the stars even further away.”
