Jonathan Trott Criticizes Match Referee Following Afghanistan’s Loss to Sri Lanka in Asia Cup

Jonathan Trott Voices Discontent with Match Referee Following Afghanistan’s Asia Cup Loss to Sri Lanka

Afghanistan’s head coach, Jonathan Trott, did not mince words as he criticized the Match Referee after his team’s crucial loss to Sri Lanka in a must-win Asia Cup match.

In this decisive group stage encounter of the Asia Cup, Afghanistan faced the daunting task of chasing down the target set by Sri Lanka in 37.1 overs to secure a spot in the Super 4 stage.

Sri Lanka, batting first, posted a formidable total of 292 runs on the scoreboard. In pursuit of this target, Afghanistan put up a valiant effort, with all-rounder Mohammad Nabi registering the fastest ODI half-century for Afghanistan, accomplishing this feat in just 24 deliveries.

However, as the match approached its climax, Afghanistan found themselves at 289/8 at the end of the 37th over, needing 3 runs off the final delivery of the 37th over to secure a spot in the Super 4 stage. Unfortunately, Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s dismissal on that delivery altered the equation, changing the requirement to 293 runs in 37.2 overs. Notably, Rashid Khan, who was at the non-striker’s end, appeared unaware of the situation. Had they reached 297 runs, Afghanistan could have qualified based on Net Run Rate (NRR) even if they completed it in the 38th over.

Jonathan Trott expressed his frustration, highlighting that the match officials had not communicated these calculations to the Afghanistan team. He explained, “We were never communicated those calculations. 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. (That we could win even after) 38.1 overs was never communicated to us.”

While acknowledging that various factors contributed to their defeat, Trott emphasized that there were areas where Afghanistan could have performed better. He stated, “I don’t think there’s one reason we lost the game. There are areas of the game we could have done better, and that goes for today’s game and the one against Bangladesh. We got some things horribly wrong in a few areas, and it’s cost us. It’d be nice if we’d bowled them out a bit cheaper. But it wasn’t to be.”