Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott described his side’s defeat to South Africa as “devastating”, admitting the narrow loss in a dramatic T20 World Cup contest would linger with his players. The Proteas edged Afghanistan after a gripping encounter that required two Super Overs, leaving South Africa relieved and Afghanistan heartbroken in one of the most remarkable matches since the tournament began in 2007. Addressing the media after the game on Wednesday, Trott reflected on the emotional toll of back-to-back defeats in a demanding group.
“Just shows what we have as a side. So we’ve got some amazing players and it’s just really devastating for the guys after a tough loss a few days ago against New Zealand and now against South Africa in a tough group as well,” Trott said. The South African-born former England Test batsman acknowledged that such losses can hurt deeply. “These guys are never shy of rising up against the challenges that they face throughout their lives on and off the field. “So today they should be very proud and obviously these types of losses sometimes they can hurt and sting for a while but I think it’s important we look at those areas that we did really well in, but also areas that we could improve and things we could have done better. “I think South Africa fielded pretty well actually as well. The run out, a few catches on the boundary, on the ring, those sorts of things. I think they fielded really well. Maybe that was the difference today a little bit,” the Afghanistan head coach said. Under Trott’s guidance, Afghanistan have made significant strides, reaching the semifinals in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup and the quarterfinals of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Though he is set to step down after this tournament, Trott declined to reflect on his tenure, insisting his focus remains on the remaining fixtures. Trott also reserved special praise for Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who smashed 84 off 42 balls in the chase of 187 and followed it with a blistering 18 off 4 balls in the second Super Over. “Those innings as we saw today, I think he should play more often if I’m honest, with the amount of talent that he has and the physique and the sporting ability and natural hand-eye coordination. “He wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s quite an animated character. I think the years that I’ve been with him now, I’m just trying to get him to be a little bit more consistent in everything that he does.”
