Trott wants his bowlers to 'get out of' big overs with minimal damage

Trott wants his bowlers to 'get out of' big overs with minimal damage

Two overs went for a total of 60 runs and set up West Indies for a 200+ total and a big win in St Lucia © AFP

Three wins in the group stage saw Afghanistan qualify for the Super 8s at the T20 World Cup and continue their impressive form over the last 12 months, but their first real blip of the tournament came against the West Indies. The tournament co-hosts beat Rashid Khan's side by a massive 104 runs in St Lucia, and it was a harsh reminder of the tough competition that awaits Afghanistan in the next round.

A costly bowling powerplay for Afghanistan saw the West Indies race away to 92 runs and put 218 on the board. A good chunk of that came via two expensive overs that together went for 60 runs and offset some tight bowling otherwise according to Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott.

"I think we could have bowled a little bit better at times, obviously the powerplay wasn't ideal - but I think we bowled well after that. The next ten-odd overs went for something like 60 odd, so it showed that if we did bowl well, we could restrict them," Trott said.

So where can Afghanistan improve? "If we don't start an over well, being able to get out of an over and try and stop that," Trott reckoned. "Today we had two overs in total, went for 60 runs, and that swung the game massively."

Nicholas Pooran's blitzkrieg of 98 in just 53 balls saw him surpass Chris Gayle in terms of most T20I sixes for West Indies, with Pooran's tally now 128 sixes to Gayle's 124. The swashbuckling left-hander took a particular liking to Azmatullah Omarzai, who conceded the joint-most runs (36) in an over in T20Is. That combined with a 24-run over from Rashid Khan really hurt Afghanistan's chances.

Pooran hit 8 sixes on the night and got key support from Johnson Charles at his home ground and skipper Rovman Powell. "I think when somebody gets 98 of 53 balls, I think it's always going to be quite a factor," summed up Trott.

West Indies phased their innings perfectly and targeted the longer boundaries by hitting into the wind. Trott praised the intent and tactic, and added that his bowlers found it difficult to get the batters hitting the ball against the wind.

"I think we saw the West Indies players use the wind factor really well. I mean, the wind was to the bigger, much bigger boundary and they were still able to clear it well. I think maybe we could have bowled a little bit better and get them hitting into, hitting the other way."

The batting performance from Afghanistan was also not upto the mark, with in-form opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz dismissed for a duck. That set the tone for a difficult run chase. Scoring only 45 in the PowerPlay and subsequently crumbling to 57-7 in the middle overs, it was a resounding defeat for the Afghans in the end.

"Chasing a target like 220 is always going to be tricky so we needed things to go away in the PowerPlay and we didn't have a good PowerPlay either. When you have a swing of 92 in the PowerPlay [which] they were at and I think we were 45 - that's a huge swing," Trott said.

Next up, Afghanistan begin their Super 8 fixtures against India on June 20 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

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Rhythm to batting doesn't really exist on these wickets: Williamson

Rhythm to batting doesn't really exist on these wickets: Williamson

Kane Williamson rued his team's inability to find the right 'method' to bat in the tough conditions during the T20 World Cup © AFP

After the comfortable win against PNG, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson reflected on a T20 World Cup campaign which ended even before it was about to take flight. Two defeats in their first two games, having not played much cricket in the lead-up to the tournament had all but knocked out the side before Afghanistan beat PNG, confirming Kiwis' fate. New Zealand were the last to kickstart their World Cup campaign as they played their first game after a few others had played a couple of them.

"It took a long time to start, and then in a matter of days, we were sort of not in contention, which was frustrating. We wanted to start the campaign strong, and we weren't able to do that. We played against a couple of very strong sides who are very well equipped in these conditions and unfortunately it was the difference in our first two games and then some decent cricket in the last two, so all in all frustrating.

"The reality is that on these wickets 90, maybe 100 can be winning totals, and so T20 batting needs to look a certain way and then if you get a match up then you can get an above par total perhaps. But it's been really unique, a unique experience for all the guys. We always love coming to the Caribbean, it's a fantastic place to be. The conditions have been challenging I think for batters all around, but it's just about trying to find a way."

T20 is deemed a batter's game but this tournament has seen only three 200-plus scores, highlighting the struggles the batters have faced, especially with most of them having featured on terrific batting tracks in the IPL. He spoke about the pitches being challenging in the West Indies and how the conditions were different from what they had experienced on previous tours.

"Naturally the scores are quite low. Rhythm to batting doesn't really exist on these wickets. It's trying to find a method that might allow you to get competitive totals and that's quite different I think to other surfaces that are slightly more even, but that's the challenge that's in front of you and both teams have that. It's a very different style of cricket but it's trying to learn that as quickly as possible, and in a short tournament, that's quite challenging."

"I mean, we knew that we would be experiencing some challenging conditions. I think the up and down nature is quite difficult to prepare for. But at the same time, like I say, it's not about doing it perfectly, it's about trying to find a method and we weren't able to do that as well as we would have liked in the first couple of games."

Meanwhile, for New Zealand's ace fast bowler Trent Boult, the game against PNG was his last in the format for the Kiwis. Having played with Boult at the youth level from 10 to 11 years old, the skipper was cognizant of his contribution to the team over the years and how he would be an inspiration for the youngsters coming through the ranks.

"What he's been able to do in the game, not just for New Zealand but really recognition from all around the world, a skill set, a strong desire to keep getting better and at this stage of his career. He's always brought a great energy, a real willingness to compete, and a big player for us that's difficult to replace.

"I think when somebody puts the time that he has and the effort he's put into his country, it paves the way for new players to come through and see a standard that's been set and I think he can be really proud of that."

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David Wiese retires from international cricket

David Wiese retires from international cricket

David Wiese, 39, signed off from international cricket after the game against England. © Getty

David Wiese, the talisman of the Namibian cricket team, has retired from international cricket. After Namibia's third loss in the ongoing T20 World Cup, to England, the all-rounder was seen waving to the crowd and his teammates.

"I mean, [the] next T20 World Cup is still two years away, I'm 39 years old now, so , in terms of international cricket, I don't know if there's much left in me," Wiese said. "I just feel like what better place to end a special career for me personally with Namibia. I've had a lot of good times with them and to play my last game for them possibly at a World Cup against a world-class team like England, it just seemed like the right time."

Incidentally, Wiese made his T20I and ODI debuts for South Africa in 2013 and 2015 respectively and represented the Proteas in the 2016 edition of the T20 World Cup wherein South Africa were unable to make it out of the group stage. In 2016, the all-rounder opted for a Kolpak deal and signed a three year contract with Sussex ending his international career with South Africa.

He made his debut for Namibia in the 2021 T20 World Cup and was instrumental in the team qualifying for the Super 12s. He almost single handedly took them into the Super 12s in the 2022 edition as well. Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus too confirmed that it was Wiese's last game for Namibia in the post match interview.

Career Batting Statistics

Format Runs

          Innings Strike Rate Average

ODIs 330 15 89.43 25.38

T20Is 624 40 127.86 24.00

Career Bowling Statistics

Format

         Wickets Matches Economy Average

ODIs 15 15 5.58 45.13

T20Is 59 54 7.19 22.02

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