"That's not the pitch that you want to have a match, a semi-final of a World Cup on, plain and simple. It should be a fair contest": Jonathan Trott

[BouncerGuy]

Jonathan Trott (Afghanistan Coach) post-match Press Conference - 26th June 2024

[Reporter:]

There have been some interesting pitches all through this World Cup. This one had both uneven bounce and sideways seam movement, which I'm not making it sound like an excuse or anything just from a neutral point of view what do you think of such a pitch for T20 games especially a knockout which is like the showpiece for a World Cup and their batters are just fighting for survival in a t20 game

[Jonathan Trott:]

I don't want to get myself into trouble but obviously and I don't want to come across as in bitter or it being a case of sour grapes but that's not the pitch that you want to have a match, a semi-final of a World Cup on, plain and simple. It should be a fair contest. I'm not saying it should be flat completely with no spin and no seam movement, but I'm saying you shouldn't have batsmen worrying about going forward in the ball, flying over their head. You should be confident in their foot movement and being able to hit through the line or use their skills. T20 is about attacking and about scoring runs and taking wickets, not looking to survive. If the opposition bowled well and got to a position where they bowled very, very well and it's through skill then that's fine to them and then it's about adapting to that. But once the ball starts misbehaving and rolling, if we had bowled as straight as South Africa had, I think you would have seen a very interesting second half as well. South Africa bowled well, used the conditions, and showed our boys what it's capable of. But it just didn't go our way tonight.​

 

[Technics 1210]

He is the last person to be talking about fairness after caught on camera instructing AFG players to slow down to affect the DLS equation vs BD.

It was a low scoring pitch anyway but the AFG players were just rubbish on the day, and most days.

 

[BouncerGuy]

I don't think there is anything wrong with that pitch. Might be on the slow and low but it was mostly batters at fault.

 

[pakistani pride]

LOL the only reason you reached the SF is due the fact these pitches are like this.

 

[Aang_The_last_airbender]

Sour grapes! Come on man, you defeated Australia on similar pitch , that time he didn't cry.

 

[followed]

Lol they reached the semi finals due to pitches like those.
They have one T20 batsman in the whole lineup.
Your team is very ordinary full of ordinary players. Just thank the stars you reached the semi finals.

 

[sweep_shot]

Knockouts should have proper pitches. When I mean proper, I mean 150-160 pitches (neither too flat nor too sluggish).

Yesterday's pitch was a 110-120 pitch. Not great for a knockout game. Maybe okay for a group stage game.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I don't think there is anything wrong with that pitch. Might be on the slow and low but it was mostly batters at fault.

Slow and low is fine as long as it's consistent. This pitch had extreme variable bounce from a good length .

Trott is right.

 

[jnaveen1980]

For a semi final that was a crap pitch. Even SA was finding it hard. 38/1 in 8 overs. A referral would have got markram out.

 

[Double Trouble]

Trott never changes always a sour looser who was lucky to play for Eng.

SA showed some class accept it Afg are still a minnow team who do well on slow turning pitches.

 

[Kianig89]

Atrocious stuff from organisers the pitch was an insult to T20 cricket not to mention it was WC SF

 

[Savak]

So Trottie, it's okay if the pitch is slow, dry, ball not coming on to the bat favouring Afghanistan's spinners but not okay when the pitch has pace, bounce where a shodda like Rashid Khan gets bowled like a school boy against the pace of Nortje?

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Atrocious stuff from organisers the pitch was an insult to T20 cricket not to mention it was WC SF

Pitch was fine just minnows can't handle a SF

 

[Inswinging Yorker]

Very disappointed. Sour grapes because the tail that starts at 3 was badly exposed by the High Quality SA attack

 

[Inswinging Yorker]

Knockouts should have proper pitches. When I mean proper, I mean 150-160 pitches (neither too flat nor too sluggish).

Yesterday's pitch was a 110-120 pitch. Not great for a knockout game. Maybe okay for a group stage game.

The ICC have to be really foolish if the did not know the qualty of pitches in the West Indies. This is exactly how the pitch behaves ever since cricket was played at BLA. People accustomed to see batting paradise in T20 where bowlers are slaughtered. It is good to see batsmen being slaughtered and bowlers have the upperhand.

 

[Inswinging Yorker]

Atrocious stuff from organisers the pitch was an insult to T20 cricket not to mention it was WC SF

It was not the pitch. It was Afghanistan given a heavy dose of reality.

 

[Inswinging Yorker]

For a semi final that was a crap pitch. Even SA was finding it hard. 38/1 in 8 overs. A referral would have got markram out.

A crap pitch and a crap team like Afghanistan who woke up from their dream against a High Quality SA.

 

[Inswinging Yorker]

Sour grapes! Come on man, you defeated Australia on similar pitch , that time he didn't cry.

1000000000000000000% correct

 

[Inswinging Yorker]

He is the last person to be talking about fairness after caught on camera instructing AFG players to slow down to affect the DLS equation vs BD.

It was a low scoring pitch anyway but the AFG players were just rubbish on the day, and most days.

Gulbadin got CRAMPED by Jensen.....and that WAS NO ACT.

 

[jnaveen1980]

A crap pitch and a crap team like Afghanistan who woke up from their dream against a High Quality SA.

Suddenly high quality SA lol They barely escaped against two associates lol Nepal were on their way to comprehensive win before losing their head.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I didn't see this game, but the pitches in the USA weren't fit for purpose. Teams were struggling to get to 100, and in a T20 game it doesn't make for much of a spectacle.

 

[FearlessRoar]

'Horrific' and 'ugly' - World Cup semi-final pitch criticised​

Test Match Special pundits Steven Finn and Alex Hartley criticised the "awful" pitch used for the T20 World Cup semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan in Trinidad.

Afghanistan were bowled out for 56 - the lowest score in a T20 World Cup semi-final - when batting first at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

South Africa chased it down in 8.5 overs for the loss of just one wicket but only after numerous uncomfortable moments for their batters on a pitch with extremely inconsistent bounce.

"It was ugly really," former England seamer Finn said on TMS. "The pitch just deteriorated and it led to not a great spectacle for a T20 game.

"It would have been fascinating on day five of a Test match but for a T20, it wasn't up to scratch."

England World Cup winner Hartley added: "You want an even contest. What this pitch has done is take batting completely out of the game.

"It's an actual shambles."

Playing in their first World Cup semi-final, Afghanistan fell to their lowest T20 total on a surface summed up by one over from Azmatullah Omarzai that ended with two balls that scuttled through at ankle height followed by one that reared up from a length.

Cricviz data also showed there was a significant amount of lateral movement for the fast bowlers, with the average of 0.88° off the seam ranked fourth across all games in the tournament so far. The venue itself, across the competition, is ranked number one for swing and seam offered to pace bowlers, and second for turn for the spinners.

"There is definitely going to be talk about the pitch because it is the worst we've seen at this World Cup," Hartley added.

"I don't mind seeing 130 play 130, both sides are then in the game with bat and ball. But this has been horrific."

Speaking during the South Africa innings, Finn added: "We've not seen a South Africa batter play a shot with any certainty about where the ball is going to come through.

"That makes it a very uneven contest. Fascinating but uneven."

Commentator Geoff Lemon suggested that the pitch was such that a longer format match might have been called off.

South Africa captain Aiden Markram admitted that batting conditions were "tough" but says his side are just excited to play in a World Cup final.

After losing seven semi-finals across T20 and one-day international cricket, the Proteas are through to their first men's final.

They will play the winner of the second semi-final between India and England on Saturday (15:30 BST) in Barbados.

"One more step, it's an exciting challenge for us," Markram, 29, said.

"We've never been [in a World Cup final] before but it's nothing to be scared of. It's an opportunity that we've never had and we'll be really excited about it.

"Obviously there are external pressures but we're trying to keep it simple and that should give us a good chance.

"I'm chuffed we have one more crack at winning a trophy."

T20 World Cup: Semi-final pitch was 'horrific', say TMS pundits

Steven Finn and Alex Hartley criticise the "awful" pitch used for the T20 World Cup semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan in Trinidad.

www.bbc.com

 

[jnaveen1980]

it is not just Trott guys. Even in the commentary box Ian smith criticized the pitch. Seems like others have joined in. Just because Afghanistn lost let us not invent reasons to justify it. It is unfit for a semi final.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Adil Rashid gets the wicket of 'hitman' Rohit Sharma and ends his spell with decent figures of 1/25 in 4 overs

 

[Cricket Warrior]

These WC pitches are just pathetic making this event so boring!

 

[The Bald Eagle]

This WC pitches were just too poor. Uneven bounces made it a living hell for batsmen. Poor planning from ICC should have come up with better pitches for the mega event

 

[CricketCartoons]

We must question England's intent after they chose to field on such a pitch.

 

[ads101]

These have probably been the worst pitches I’ve ever seen in a tournament.

 

[Buffet]

Pitch in both semis should have been better. Afghan pitch was worse due to uneven bounce. This one was low but consistent low.

Hoping to see a better pitch in Final.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Had Afghanistan bowled first and rolled over South Africa for 110 or whatever then I'm sure Jonathan Trott would have a very different tone. The criticism about the pitch is valid but it looks ugly coming from a coach whose side got bowled out for 56. However bad a pitch is, there is no excuse for getting rolled over for 56 in a WC semi-final.

West Indies scored 149 on this same pitch against New Zealand after being 31-5 at one point. Easy to make excuses, harder to admit when you've been humbled.

 

[Mamoon]

There was nothing wrong with the pitch. It was a standard, difficult batting wicket. This is what happens when a Test class bowling attack bowls to a not Test class batting lineup.

We will see Afghanistan put up similar scores if they play a Test series in South Africa.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

ACB Extend Jonathon Trott’s Contract as the National Team’s Head Coach for 2025

Afghanistan Cricket Board confirms the extension of the contract with Mr. Jonathan Trott, the National Team’s Head Coach, for the year 2025. The decision comes in after his successful 2.5-year tenure, during which he made significant contributions to the team’s progress and development.

The Afghanistan National Team had greater achievements in the last two years and Mr. Trott was part of these achievements, notably during the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup, where Afghanistan secured impressive victories against formidable opponents such as England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands, and as a result, the national team made it to the top eight teams in the event, which allowed Afghanistan to qualify for their first-ever ICC Champions Trophy event in 2025.

Additionally, the national team won five matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, triumphing over strong teams like New Zealand, Australia, and Bangladesh. They ultimately reached the semifinals of the event for the first time in their cricketing history, and Jonathan Trott contributed well to this journey.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board wishes Mr. Jonathon Trott the best of luck in his next year’s stint with AfghanAtalan as he strives to elevate Afghanistan cricket further on the global stage.

AfghanAtalan are currently on a tour to Zimbabwe for an all-format series featuring three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Test matches. During the tour, Mr. Jonathan Trott will accompany the squad only in ODIs, whereas he will remain unavailable for the T20Is and Test matches due to his personal commitments. Hamid Hassan will step up and take on the role of Head Coach in Trott’s absence, and Nawroz Mangal, who recently helped the AfghanAbdalyan lineup to the Emerging Asia Cup glory, will serve as Assistant Head Coach during the series.


ACB