Coach Jonathan Trott criticized Trinidad's pitch for Afghan exit from World Cup

Afghanistan team coach Jonathan Trott criticized Trinidad’s pitch for Afghanistan’s exit from the T-20 World Cup 2024. His criticism came after Afghanistan lost to South Africa by nine wickets today in Brian Lara Cricket Stadium.

It was a semi-final match in which the bowling team of South Africa proved quite effective against Afgnaistan on a field that provided enough opportunities for bowling.

Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bat. They could score only a pitiful 56 runs. It is the lowest total score – that an opponent team has ever made in a T-20 World Cup semi-final.

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Following this significant loss, Jonathan stated he wished to avoid causing himself any trouble. It is not to come across as a bit of sour grapes, but that’s not the kind of pitch you want a World Cup semi-final to play. It is as simple as that.

He emphasized it must be an even competition. However, he is not advocating for it to be perfectly flat with no spin or edges. But batters should not have to worry about moving forward and the ball going over their heads.

Hence, Coach Jonathan Trott criticized Trinidad’s pitch saying; there should be confidence in players to pass through the line. The main goals of T20 cricket are to attack, score runs, and take wickets instead of trying to survive.

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He claimed it would have been acceptable if the opposition had bowled well using their skills. However, the characteristics of the pitch made batting nearly impossible. Jonathan Trott is a former England player.

However, Afghanistan may not have been able to handle pressure regarding the semi-final match against South Africa in their comparatively shot cricket history. They faced a travel delay on June 24, 2024, after playing a game against Bangladesh in Super 8.

As a result, they arrived in Trinidad without enough time to prepare. So, it could be another reason for their loss in the semi-finals. However, South Africa will face India or England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 finals.