Afghanistan head coach reveals qualification scenarios against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2023 were not communicated to them
The clash between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 was one of a kind. As Afghanistan lost the match against Bangladesh by a huge margin, they had to win against Sri Lanka by a huge margin to stay alive in the tournament. Sri Lanka scored 291 runs in their 50 overs, thanks to a very good knock from Kusal Mendis. Afghanistan’s road for the Super 4 stage depended on how quickly they were to chase the target.
Afghanistan had to beat Sri Lanka in 37.1 overs to qualify for the Super 4 stage of the tournament. But that was not that. Afghanistan had to score at least 291 runs in 37.1 overs to stay alive in the tournament. A six would have still determined the chances of Afghanistan. A maximum would have given Afghanistan a better run rate to qualify for the Super 4 stage of the tournament.
‘All we were communicated was…’ – Jonathan Trott
The scenario was such that Afghanistan had to score 294 runs in 37.3 overs, 295 runs in 37.4 overs, 296 runs in 38 overs, or 297 runs in 38.1 overs to qualify further. Any such case would have been enough for the team to qualify further in the tournament. But it seems that Afghanistan players and the management were unaware of this. There was a clear miscommunication regarding the information.
Eventually, the lack of knowledge regarding the same cost the match for Afghanistan. As Mujeeb Zadran was dismissed with 3 runs to get in a ball, Afghanistan players lost all their hopes. It was evident that they did not know of the scenarios. Rashid Khan, a capable batter, was still in the middle and could have hit a six and had a crack at the possible scenarios.
Unfortunately, Afghanistan did not know about the equation. When asked about the same in the press conference, Afghanistan Head coach Jonathan Trott said that they were unaware of the fact. “All we were communicated was we needed to win in 37.1 overs – we weren’t told what the overs in which we could get 295 or 297 – 38.1 overs were never communicated to us,” said Trott.
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