February 27, 2025: After Afghanistan's thrilling win over England at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday, head coach Jonathan Trott emphasized that his team's focus will now shift to their crucial upcoming game against Australia on Friday. This victory has put Afghanistan in a strong position, with a chance to qualify for the semi-finals in back-to-back ICC Men's limited-overs tournaments.
Trott reflected on the team's remarkable performance in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup last year, where Afghanistan shocked the world with their impressive performances. He noted that despite the celebrations from their England win, the team's focus needed to remain on the next challenge. "I'm going to make sure when they wake up tomorrow, they enjoy tonight, but wake up tomorrow ready for Australia," Trott said after the game. "As soon as they wake up tomorrow, the focus is on Australia."
Trott also stressed that Afghanistan could not afford to take Australia lightly. He acknowledged that in the past, some might have seen games against Afghanistan as less challenging, but in this format, on these conditions, that perception had changed. He pointed out that Afghanistan has been competitive in all of their three encounters against Australia since Trott became the head coach, giving the team confidence going into Friday's game.
Trott added that Afghanistan's rise in world cricket has been marked by growing resilience and a sense of self-belief, especially when it comes to batting. The team has become more aware of how to pace their innings and understands the importance of contributions from different players. "It's not always down to one person. We saw Ibrahim's performance today, Gurbaz has done it in the past, and we have Gulbadin at eight, who can come in and change games," said Trott.
Their upcoming clash with Australia has now become a virtual quarter-final, with the winner securing a spot in the semi-finals and the loser facing elimination. With such high stakes, Trott expressed hope for strong support from the crowd at Gaddafi Stadium on Friday. "Hopefully, Friday will be a massive sell-out and people will turn up or take the day off work and come and watch us from two o'clock onwards," he said. "It will be a huge experience for the players, and nights like these add to the confidence they will take into Friday's game."
Afghanistan's journey in this tournament has shown the world that they are no longer underdogs, and Trott is confident that his team has what it takes to compete against the best.
Last Updated on February 27, 2025 by Disha Rojhe
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