MUMBAI: Jonathan Trott, the Afghanistan coach, will try to plot the downfall of England when his current squad meets his last team in a World Cup match on Sunday in New Delhi.
However, his appointment as the Afghanistan cricket team mentor came about because another former England batsman, Graham Thorpe, fell ill. Trott assumed the role in July of the previous year, just before a Twenty20 tour of Ireland leading up to the T20 World Cup in Australia.
42-year-old Trott had a remarkable record of over 200 international matches and had previously served as batting coach for the England team in 2021 during their tour of India.
Afghanistan has encountered difficulties in the 50-over format despite their undeniable talent in the T20 format and the excellent performance of their star spinner Rashid Khan’s success in franchise cricket.
Disheartening losses to India and Bangladesh in their first two games of this World Cup have extended the losing streak of Afghanistan in the tournament to 14 consecutive matches. This complicated sequence of defeats traces back to their lone triumph against Scotland in 2015.
A lack of runs, for all Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai scored fifties in an eight-wicket reverse against India last time out, has been at the heart of Afghanistan’s ODI struggles.
In Trott, they have a coach who, as a batsman, was renowned for his concentration and attention to detail, exemplified by his deliberate guard marking. Born in Cape Town to a British father and South African mother, Trott played for South African youth sides from Under-15 to Under-19 level.
But he then took advantage of his British passport and his relationship with Bob Woolmer, who coached South Africa and Warwickshire, to arrange a trial with the English county.
After making a name for himself at the Midlands club, Trott had a remarkable start in Test cricket, scoring 100 in a match against Australia at The Oval in 2009 that decided the Ashes.
It was the beginning of a stellar England career that saw him score nearly 4,000 runs in 52 Test matches at an average of 44.08, including nine hundred.
‘Get pigeonholed’ –
Despite being lauded as a “rock” by then-England coach Andy Flower, Trott’s journey took a challenging turn during the 2013/14 Ashes tour of Australia. He was compelled to depart abruptly due to a stress-related illness brought on by his difficulties facing short-pitched deliveries.
Trott, however, demonstrated remarkable resilience and managed to reclaim his place in the England squad for a series in the West Indies in 2015. Tasked with opening the batting, he encountered a tough run of form, achieving double-figures only once in six innings and suffering three ducks. Subsequently, Trott decided to retire from international cricket after the tour and later concluded his professional career with Warwickshire in 2018.
His highly publicized difficulties made some wonder how Trott would cope with the rising demands of being in charge of a national side.
However, Trott, still to set foot in Afghanistan more than 14 months since his appointment in this position– the squad doesn’t play matches on the home ground due to security concerns, with the country having retaken to Taliban control in 2021 — told the Guardian last week: “I enjoy the pressure of making decisions. Sometimes, if you’re just a specialist, batting, or bowling coach, you sort of get pigeonholed a little bit. I think it’s nice to oversee things.”
However, as Trott discovered at a heartbreaking conclusion to Afghanistan’s Asia Cup campaign last month, that role has additional responsibility.
Afghanistan needed to beat a target of 292 in 37.1 overs to defeat Sri Lanka on net run rate. However, Mujeeb Ur Rahman holed out with three required off the first ball of the 38th over.
They still had a chance to secure qualification by achieving 295 runs within 37.4 overs. However, it seemed that the team was not aware of this possibility. In a surprising turn, the last batsman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, cautiously defended two deliveries but then attempted another defensive shot when only six runs were needed to secure their spot.
Trott recalled, “I’m gutted about it. As a head coach, the responsibility stays with you. You’re in charge, the guy where the buck stops. So that’s hard to take.” —APP
