In the end, it has left the former semi-finalists’ chances of progressing to the Super Eight out of their hands. Afghanistan have to win their remaining matches and get other results in their favour to advance from the group stage. With Trott’s tenure confirmed as ending after this tournament, this fixture could have been his last of significant consequence and he believes it tells the full story of his time in charge.
“I think that was a great snapshot,” he said afterwards. “I’d prefer to talk about it (his time in charge) when it’s done than talk about it now. We’ve still got two important games and I respect the side and the job, but also the two games we’ve got coming up are important as well. I don’t think it’s time to start talking about when I’m not in the position when I am still in the position. I’d like to make sure I get that right and that we get it right. Hopefully this group can surprise a few people and we get a few losses somewhere along the line and we get ourselves back in. We’ve got to stay positive.”
Trott’s optimism was not matched by his opening batter Ibrahim Zadran, who said he felt his side had “lost the chance to qualify to the next round,” and are “disappointed.” But it’s Trott job not only to keep the side focused on a campaign that isn’t over but also on the bigger picture and the wide angle view is that Afghanistan are a better side than what happens in this tournament might suggest.
“We’ve got some amazing players and it’s just really devastating for the guys, after a tough loss a few days ago against New Zealand and now against South Africa in a tough group as well,” Trott said. “These guys are never shy of rising up against the challenges that they face throughout their lives on and off the field. So today they should be very proud and obviously these types of losses sometimes can hurt and sting for a while but I think it’s important we look at those areas that we did really well in, but also areas that we could improve and things we could have done better.”
The thing Afghanistan did best was stay in the game, and the second Super Over, thanks to the efforts of opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz who played what Trott called “the best innings I’ve seen him play,” and who he tips for many more.
“He is a really great and talented cricketer. The innings as we saw today, I think he should play like that more often if I’m honest, with the amount of talent that he has and the physique and the sporting ability and natural hand-eye coordination,” Trott said. “It’s just about going forward now with him and just being able to process this. It’ll be a good challenge for him. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s quite an animated character. I’m just trying to get him to be a little bit more consistent in everything that he does. We all saw today the types of innings that he can play, and the areas that he can hit balls, and how hard he can hit them. He should be a lot more consistent than he is. I look forward to seeing how his future goes and that goes for everyone else.”
Zadran, who did media duties in Gurbaz’s place, spoke to the “challenge” Trott alluded to when it came to making sense of this defeat. While watching his opening partner bat, Zadran said he and the rest of his team-mates “were just trying to control our emotions,” even as things ebbed and flowed. “Everything happened in such a short space of time. We had to stay calm and relax. We tried to apply ourselves but South Africa played better than we did.”
Others would argue that South Africa had slightly better luck, or made one slightly better tactical choice, such as bowling a spinner in the Super Over, than Afghanistan did. Zadran conceded they “didn’t expect,” to see Keshav Maharaj with the ball right at the end and it was a “good decision,” on South Africa’s part. But he was not too crestfallen with where things stand as he looks to the future. “We should try to learn, how to improve our skills, and how to be positive. Every single day, you know, gives me an opportunity to learn from it. This is what we’re thinking. We should learn from these mistakes and play better.”
Ask Trott and he might say Afghanistan have been doing that before and throughout his time in charge. At the least, they will have two more opportunities at this tournament to show the full range of the side they have become under Trott, and to send him off with something to remember.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket
