Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
An emotional Jonathan Trott struggled to hold back his tears in his final press conference as Afghanistan coach after their match against Canada at the T20 World Cup 2026. Trott will leave his role following the completion of the tournament after taking charge of the Afghanistan side in 2022.
Since his appointment, Trott has changed the fortunes of Afghanistan, making them one of the most exciting teams in the world. The former England batter guided Afghanistan to a memorable 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, where they defeated Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka and pushed Australia all the way. The following year in the last edition of the T20 World Cup, he oversaw Afghanistan’s fairytale run to the semi-finals of the tournament, with wins over New Zealand and Australia along the way.
Following the win over Canada, Trott came to the post-match presser where the questions were mainly about his experience with Afghan cricket and their future prospects. This made the Afghan coach choke up a bit as he remembered his first tour to Ireland and realised the talent within the camp.
“Well I just think and I could sit here and tell you so many stories of things that I’ve seen with my own eyes but in the talent, yeah – I said I didn’t want to get upset. I just remember my first trip when we were in Ireland and I just saw things that just realised that these boys are so talented and focused.”
“And if you just us to add a little bit of structure to the mindset, professionalism, and the high standards that we hold ourselves to, not individuals but we hold each other to those high standards and professionalism. I remember seeing Ibra for the first time, I remember seeing Azmat for the first time, I remember seeing Gurbaz for the first time and thinking, what amazing players. Let’s try and build on what we’ve got, this natural raw talent. Cool, thanks. And let’s see where we can get to. We had the names Mujeeb, Nabi, Rashid, all these guys. But it’s just one of those things. And I remember how chaotic that first tour is to where we are now is chalk and cheese,” said Trott.
The Englishman said he was amazed at how the Afghan players operate at a high level despite the challenges that they face back home with the lack of infrastructure and cricket academies to nurture them at the youth level.
The players need so much credit because the level they operate at and the advantages and the things that they’re afforded as youngsters to develop their skills and their passion for the game. They operate at such a high level compared to what they’re afforded compared to other countries, but yet they can come on this stage and compete and almost people expect us to be in the semifinals and finals, which I find amazing that they can do that, handle the pressure, but also the background, they don’t have the sort of day-to-day coaching that young players have, academies and facilities and all these things and schooling,” said Trott.
‘TAKE MY HAT OFF TO ALL OF THEM’
Ahead of the Canada game, Rashid Khan paid a glowing tribute to Trott and Ibrahim Zadran dedictaed his Player Of The Match to the departing coach. Trott thanked all his players and promised to remain a fan of the team even after leaving his job.
“The amount of coaching I’ve had compared to the coaching that these guys are now operating at international levels is chalk and cheese. So, I take my hat off to every single one of them. And, so for me, it’s the level they operate will always amaze me and from watching from afar, I’ll always be very fond and want the guys to do well,” said Trott.
T20 World Cup | T20 World Cup Schedule | T20 World Cup Points Table | T20 World Cup Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– Ends
Must Watch
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
