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Afghanistan’s head coach, Jonathan Trott, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Trinidad pitch after their defeat to South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal. Trott criticized the pitch conditions, stating that they were not appropriate for a crucial T20 World Cup semifinal match and emphasized the need for fairness.
In the semifinal match at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on June 26, Afghanistan suffered a heavy loss to South Africa. The pitch in Trinidad exhibited unpredictable bounce and seam movement, severely hampering Afghanistan’s batting performance. They could only muster 56 runs, marking the lowest score ever in a T20 World Cup semifinal.
The early dismissal of Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck by Marco Jansen set the tone, with Jansen claiming two more wickets in quick succession. Afghanistan faltered, losing their first five wickets for just 23 runs in five overs. South Africa’s bowlers Kagiso Rabada (2/14), Anrich Nortje (2/7), and Tabraiz Shamsi (3/6) capitalized on the challenging conditions.
Despite facing difficulties due to the pitch, South Africa managed to chase down the target comfortably. Reeza Hendricks (29*) and Aiden Markram (23*) guided South Africa to a convincing nine-wicket victory in only 8.5 overs. With this win, South Africa secured their maiden World Cup final appearance, while Afghanistan’s campaign came to an end after an impressive run earlier in the tournament.
Jonathan Trott – Don’t Want To Get Me Into Trouble
During the press conference, Jonathan Trott emphasized that T20 cricket should revolve around aggression and run-scoring rather than mere survival tactics. He underscored the necessity for a balanced and equitable contest where both batting and bowling play pivotal roles, especially in a high-stakes World Cup semifinal.
“I don’t want to get myself into trouble. But I also don’t want to sound a bit like ‘sour grapes’ but that’s not the pitch that you want to have a semi-final of a World Cup on. Plain and simple. It should be a fair contest,” said Trott.
“I’m not saying it should be completely flat with no spin and seam movement, you shouldn’t have batters worrying about moving forward and having the ball fly over their head. You should be confident in getting through the line or use their skills. And T20 is all about attacking and scoring runs and taking wickets. Not looking to survive,” he added.
Jonathan Trott – Could Have Seen A Different Second Half
Jonathan Trott, the head coach of Afghanistan, lamented the decision to bat first on the demanding Trinidad pitch. He noted that had they bowled first, Afghanistan’s bowlers could have effectively capitalized on the pitch conditions. Trott highlighted that the Afghan batsmen struggled to adjust to the challenging circumstances.
“If the opposition bowled well and gets you into a position after bowling well and through skill, then it’s fine to them. Then it’s about adapting. If we had bowled the way South Africa had, you could have seen a different second half,” Trott further stated.
Afghanistan recorded their lowest T20I score in the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final. Remarkably, four out of five matches played at the venue saw teams being dismissed for fewer than 100 runs. Despite this setback, Afghanistan concluded their campaign on a positive note, winning five out of eight matches and advancing to the semi-finals of the tournament.