10 November - Ahmedabad - Afghanistan Coach Jonathan Trott post-match press conference
[Reporter:]
Leaving aside the disappointment of today, if you can, and just reflecting on the campaign as a whole, you've obviously sent a strong message about what this team can do. What are you most pleased about in terms of how you've performed?
[Jonathan Trott:]
There are obviously a few things I think we set out, we arrived on the shores and you know pretty ambitious and if you'd said we won four games you probably would have taken it you know - Especially after losing the first game against Bangladesh, which we probably would have seen as a sort of must-win or a very much winnable game. So, after that, I'd certainly have taken it, but it's still a case of sitting here today thinking there's a few other games that we left out there that we could have perhaps won.
So as a coach and as a member of the team, we're disappointed with that, but you can't have everything. You can't win always. But I see some good improvement. I see a lot of confidence in players and their ability. I had confidence in the players, but sometimes until somebody does it or they do it themselves, you're never quite sure. So that's always a challenge for a developing team or a developing player or nation, until they get across the line. And I've said numerous times before the tournament that we just need to win a couple of games to get that belief and the buzz around the side and sort of a spring in the step because there'd been so many times, we'd got so close and found a way just to lose. So, I'm pleased in that. We've won games and found ways to win games.
Normally, with the side, you'd say bowling would be the strength. So, you'd try and put the pressure on the bowlers - but to be able to knock off targets in pretty comfortable fashion and responsible fashion makes it certainly shows that we're not sort of one way inclined to win cricket games. We can win in various ways.
[Reporter:]
Obviously, you've taken significant steps here in these last few weeks. What would you like to see for Afghanistan to assist and enhance their growth as a cricket team?
[Jonathan Trott:]
I think it's a case of a lot of development and nurturing of the talent because we see the talent, the likes of players who've sort of stepped up on this tournament, a guy like Azmat [Azmatullah Omarzai] today - played very responsible, has batted at number five now for, I think, eight games or seven games and just looked like he was very assured and calm, you know, which is fantastic for such a young lad. So, it's about the development and the nurturing and the investment in the youth players coming through.
I said to a lot of the players, there's players in the squad who haven't played, but they've been here learning for a month and a bit. I was speaking to them the other day, we had training yesterday, and I said, it's your job now to go back, and when you get a training camp in Kabul in Afghanistan, it's your job to then pass on what you've learned here at this World Cup, watching players in the nets, or watching games, other players, world-class players. And that's how the game develops and grows.
When we go on a tour to Sri Lanka, there's sort of four or five Test venues. So, there's teams that we're competing with that have got such a better infrastructure and first-class system developed because they've been playing for much longer.
It's only a natural progression, but we're still able to mix with them and beat them at times. So, you know, guys are really proud and I'm really proud of the players.
[Reporter:]
Why do you think it is that South Africa seem to be a more vulnerable team when they're batting second?
[Jonathan Trott:]
Oh, look, I don't want to comment on other sides. I think it's just a case that this win would probably give them a lot of confidence going forward, able to play on a wicket that was assisting a bit of spin. South Africans generally are quite used to playing pace bowling, so they'd be very comfortable with that. So that would have taken a lot of confidence, knocking off those runs and going into the semi-finals obviously.
I think it's just accepting the pressure and having clarity in how you're going to go about knocking off or how you're going to score against the opposition. I couldn't put in point of, I don't want to make any suggestions, but obviously they're a fantastic side and I wish them all the best.
[Reporter:]
A couple of things. What do you think will be the next step in progression for your team? And do you think it'll be easier to convince bigger nations to play you going forward?
[Jonathan Trott:]
I think the next progression is to have more of a squad with regards to more players. We've seen Noor [Ahmad] come in, or Fazalhaq Farooqi come in. And so, it's for the first time really been able to sort of select a side depending on the conditions whereas before you'd normally have 11 and if you had one injury you'd sort of - but you're seeing now that the emergence of the players, experience of franchise cricket and becoming very, very good players.
So, there's certainly a bigger pool I think than in the past to be able to select from, or certainly experienced players or well-known names to be able to call upon, like Naveen [ul-Haq] coming in and playing ODI cricket, and we saw the impact he very nearly got us a win against Australia with all the wickets in the new ball.
So, the future's bright, it's our job as a side and us as management coaches to make sure we nurture that and make sure that we're going in the right direction.
[Reporter:]
You mentioned that the players, the things they've learned here from this experience, you'd like them to take that back. What are some of the learnings that they took from some of the games they played and some of the teams that they played?
[Jonathan Trott:]
Well, I think, you know, when you have the ability to have different... For bowling, for instance, bowling in the nets, you know, I've got a few guys who haven't played that have been bowling in the nets and watching and learning exactly how important it is that you know where you're going to bowl the ball, line when you bowl the stumps, the difference to a little bit of width here in the subcontinent, the ball disappears, the ball flies, you know, and you learn quickly. If you don't, you get hurt. How important it is to have variations, you know, changes of pace. We see all world-class bowlers have different variations because it makes them very unpredictable to the opposition. So, develop those skills.
And for the batting, you see all the players' boundary options as well, because up until over 40, there's only ever maximum four players out. There's always a boundary option somewhere. So how can we make sure that you can increase that or your scoring options?
So, for example, a guy like Rahmat Shah has come into the side and I thought played really well and he's expressed himself and developed a few different shots and able to manipulate the ball into different areas perhaps he wasn't able to previously which has made you know hasn't allowed the pressure to grow in him as perhaps in the past so little things like that not major things, but little things that enable players to play better for longer.
[Reporter:]
You mentioned Azmat and he's had a pretty good World Cup with bat and ball. Could you maybe just talk a little bit about how you've seen him develop, but also in terms of the depth, how easy or difficult is it to get players and to find raw talent that you can then nurture?
[Jonathan Trott:]
Well, there's plenty of raw talent, but it's the case with a guy like Azmat, very ambitious but also works incredibly hard, good work ethic. And as a coach, when that's already there, you know, that makes the job a lot easier.
For Azmat, I've obviously seen him for a year and three months, four months, and I've always been amazed at how he can time the ball. We saw the other night, second, third ball, he hit Mitchell Starc over his head, or over mid-off even, for six. Same thing today, over mid-off. And very rarely do you see players who are able to time the ball and the sound the ball makes when it comes off his bat. Very special talent and I think hopefully will only develop and become a fantastic player for Afghanistan. I'm anxious to watch the IPL auction when his name comes up.
[Reporter:]
You have a smile on your face now and throughout talking about your players you can see a smile starting. What does that tell us about, what kind of, what sort of bunch of guys are they to be around?
[Jonathan Trott:]
You know, a real good bunch of guys. I think they're very proud, very, very proud of representing their side. And I enjoy that, I like that, when you're proud of who you are and what you're sort of representing with regards to the challenges to be able to become a cricket player and perhaps personal challenges in the past and able to put that to a side and for a common goal. There have been times, there's been tough testing times for sure, but these four wins in this World Cup, the joy on their face beating Pakistan for the first time, that makes everything worthwhile. So that's really a moment I won't forget along with a lot of the other guys as well.
[Reporter:]
In the next cycle, not many ODIs are there at the offing. Where does the team go from here in terms of ODIs and maybe Test cricket? Because yesterday, the captain said that he would love to play more of the longer format and 50 overs. So, your talk on that and any word that you've had in this journey?
[Jonathan Trott:]
I think this series is in the FTP, and just waiting for confirmation on those. But there certainly is Test matches, I think, and a few ODIs and T20s. There is ambition to grow all three formats of the game, so that's exciting. And I think that's brilliant that they're able to play against other nations in the longer format of the game, the purest form as some people would say. That's always a work in progress, so exciting times ahead.
