‘Not the pitch you want’ – Trott annoyed as Afghanistan exit World Cup

Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said the “unfair” pitch in Trinidad was “not what you want to have in a World Cup semi-final” after his side were thumped by South Africa.

Afghanistan, playing in the last four of any World Cup for the first time, were rolled for 56 – their lowest T20I score – on a tough surface as some balls leapt up off the surface and others scuttled through low.

South Africa reached their target in 8.5 overs to qualify for their maiden World Cup final and will play England or India in Barbados on Saturday (3.30pm UK and Ireland).

Score summary – South Africa vs Afghanistan

Afghanistan 56 all out in 11.5 overs: Tabraiz Shamsi (3-6), Marco Jansen (3-16), Anrich Nortje (2-7), Kagiso Rabada (2-14); Azmatullah Omarzai (10)

South Africa 60-1 in 8.5 overs: Reeza Hendricks (29no off 25), Aiden Markram (23no off 21); Fazalhaq Farooqi (1-11)

Former England batter Trott said: “I don’t want to get myself into trouble, I don’t want to come across as bitter or sour grapes but that’s not the pitch that you want to have in the semi-final of the World Cup. 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 you shouldn’t have bets, worrying about going forward and the ball flying over your head.

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“T20 is about attacking, scoring runs and taking wickets, not looking to survive.”

It was a tough match for us as a team. We might have done a bit better than that, but the conditions didn’t let us.

Trott ‘proud’ of beaten Afghanistan

Trott was also frustrated by the quick turnaround Afghanistan faced, having played in the final Super 8s match on Monday night and then featuring in the first semi-final in Tarouba 48 hours later, although he stressed that was not cause of his side’s defeat.

South Africa had an extra 24 hours to prepare for the match, having concluded their Super 8s campaign with a win over host nation West Indies in Antigua on Sunday.

Trott said: “Playing the last group game and then playing the first semi-final isn’t ideal – travelling and not really having, a day off if you like. But that’s not a reason we didn’t win.

“We knew the schedule, so that’s not an excuse as such. In tournaments you can’t have everything your own way, you’ve got to fight and play against the odds. We have done that at times and I’m very proud of that.”

Afghanistan’s stellar tournament included wins over New Zealand and Australia, with Trott adding that their heavy loss to South Africa will not “define” their last few weeks.

‘Defeat gives us indication of what we need to work on’

Trott said: “I think whenever you lose a game like this it’s always going to hurt. And it should hurt. We put so much into it, there’s so many sacrifices made by the players, coaching staff, management officials.

“We arrived in high spirits, ready to take on a strong South African side and make sure we gave a good account of ourselves.

“I feel like we haven’t done that today so that’s the most disappointing thing. But I’m very proud of the guys.

“This one performance doesn’t necessarily define the tournament, but it also gives us an indication of where we need to work on and what we need to get better at if we’re going to be competitive more consistently.

“And who we can rely on, who’s going to get us over the line.”

Watch South Africa take on England or India in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup final live on Sky Sports Cricket from 3pm on Saturday (3.30pm first ball).