• Sportzyverse
• T20 World Cup 2024
• 06/27/2024
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Afghanistan’s impressive journey in the T20 World Cup 2024 ended with a 9-wicket loss to South Africa in the semi-final in Trinidad. Head coach Jonathan Trott voiced his frustration over the pitch conditions, which he felt were not suitable for such a significant match. Afghanistan, opting to bat first, were bowled out for a mere 56 runs, the lowest total in both their T20 international history and the T20 World Cups.

Concerns Over Pitch Conditions

Trott emphasized the importance of fair playing conditions at the post-match press conference. “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,” said Trott. He stressed that the pitch should have provided a balanced contest, allowing batters to play their shots and bowlers to showcase their skills.

Trott felt that the pitch was heavily skewed in favor of the bowlers, making it difficult for batters to play their natural game. “You should be confident in getting through the line or using their skills. And T20 is all about attacking and scoring runs and taking wickets. Not looking to survive,” he added. Trott suggested that the pitch should have offered something for both teams, providing a more even contest.

“If we had bowled the way South Africa had, you could have seen a different second half,” Trott speculated, indicating that the pitch conditions may have favored the South African bowlers more.

Grueling Schedule

In addition to the pitch issues, Trott also mentioned Afghanistan’s challenging schedule. The team had limited rest before the semi-final, which could have impacted their performance. “We only got back to the hotel at three o’clock and then we had to leave at eight o’clock — five hours later so we didn’t get much sleep so the guys obviously were very tired and a lot to process really emotionally physically,” Trott explained.

However, he quickly clarified that the schedule was not an excuse for the defeat. “When you go in World Cups or tournaments, you can’t have everything your own way, and you’ve got to fight and play against the odds which you’ve done at times and very proud of that. But it’s no, it’s not the reason why we didn’t win today.”

Also read South Africa defeat Afghanistan by 8 wickets to reach first T20 World Cup final

Despite the disappointing loss, Trott praised South Africa for their performance and acknowledged that Afghanistan was outplayed. He also viewed the semi-final defeat as a learning opportunity for the team. “But it’s just about taking it step by step and hopefully we learn from today, the batters certainly,” Trott said, emphasizing the need for continuous improvement.

He highlighted the need to analyze why the middle order struggled and to find solutions moving forward. “Nobody else has got runs. We need to find a reason for that,” Trott noted.