(AFP Photo)
Afghanistan’s head coach, Jonathan Trott, expressed his satisfaction on Tuesday, stating that the decision to bring Dwayne Bravo on board as the team’s bowling coach for the ongoing T20 World Cup has had a remarkable impact, making his job significantly easier.
Following a dominant performance in which left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi claimed five wickets for just nine runs, coupled with a strong opening partnership from Rahmanullah Gurbaz (76) and Ibrahim Zadran (70), Afghanistan secured a commanding 125-run victory over debutants Uganda.
In his post-match remarks to the media, Trott attributed much of the success to Bravo’s influence, noting that the West Indian has instilled a positive change in the approach of Afghanistan’s bowlers.
“DJ (Dwayne Bravo) coming into the side, fantastic. Having quality coaches also with huge experience as players (is great), but also vast franchise experience in this format of the game,” Trott said in the post-match press conference.
“(It’s) only a brilliant thing to have a player like him coming to the side as coach and it makes your job a lot easier but it also makes the coaching more enhanced, especially with the bowlers.
“We’ve seen the start of his first game with us and we saw the bowlers bowl really well, so credit to Dwayne. So (a) nice start for the boys.”
Uganda, who were bowled out for 58 in 16 overs, might have been outplayed by the Afghans in their first-ever T20 World Cup match but captain Brian Masaba was more focussed on the positives.
“Pretty special moment for us, hearing our national anthem and seeing our flag at the World Cup,” Masaba said after the match.
“First game at the World Cup, (a) lot of nerves, so good to get that out of the way.
“Something I will cherish for the rest of my life. We will look to come out and play better next game. They got off to a pretty good start and then it was about fighting back. It was very important how we fought back and full credit to the boys for that,” he added.
As Uganda prepares to face Papua New Guinea in their upcoming Group C fixture on Thursday, Afghanistan is set to confront New Zealand at the same venue on Saturday.
