Afghanistan outplayed Sri Lanka in all facets of the game to register a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in Match 30 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at MCA Stadium, Pune on Monday (October 30).
It was Afghanistan’s third victory in six games of this World Cup and they remain in the contention for a spot in the semi-final.
Earlier in the tournament, Afghanistan had defeated England and Pakistan. No wonder, coach Jonathan Trott is in awe of the Afghan talents.
“There's such an amount of talent,” Trott said after the win over Sri Lanka. “It’s just about giving them a bit of structure or a bit of a game plan, understanding what makes them the best players that they can be - tactically wise, but also the way that they train and they think about themselves.”
Chasing 242 to win, Afghanistan overhauled the target in 45.2 overs without breaking much sweat. After Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s dismissal for a duck, the likes of Ibrahim Zadran (39), Rahmat Shah (62), Hashmatullah Shahidi (58) and Azmatullah Omarzai (73) batted sensibly to take their team over the line.
During the chase, cameras caught a whiteboard, in which Afghanistan’s targets for each set of 10 overs were mentioned.
“I think when it's batting first, it's a little bit different. I think it's more a case of communication and the targets will change,” Trott said when asked about the whiteboard strategy.
“When it's chasing, the target obviously never changes, unless it's Duckworth Lewis. So, there's a bit more focus with regards to breaking it down into smaller targets.
“But sometimes, certainly like the Pakistan game, chasing 280 and starting on zero, it's a long way away. But if you break it down, it seems a lot more manageable.
“It’s those sorts of things, the little things, you know, motivating the players and keeping them in touch with where we want to be. And it's also a feel-good factor. If you know you're on the right track, it's also a nice feeling as well.
“We don't want to limit the guys on what they can do batting first. We want them to assess the conditions and make sure we go out there and get as many as we can. So, it just worked out that we chased today.”
Earlier, Afghanistan bowlers bowled exceptionally well to bundle out Sri Lanka for a below-par 241 in 49.3 overs. Pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi claimed four wickets while the spin twin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/38) and Rashid Khan (1/5) shared three scalps between them.
“I think for us, the spinners always to bowl with a dry ball is always going to be crucial and getting a bit of turn,” Trott said.
“We saw the way Noor (Ahmad) bowled last game and the wickets he got. We're very lucky in that we’ve got options to be able to select for quite different conditions, but also different conditions when it comes to weather and the effect that the weather has on the pitch and the outfield.”
(With ICC Inputs)
