Chennai, February 19 – After scoring an unbeaten 95 to lead Afghanistan to a commanding 82-run victory over Canada in their final Group D match of the T20 World Cup on Thursday, opener Ibrahim Zadran dedicated his Player of the Match award to outgoing head coach Jonathan Trott.
Zadran’s innings, which lasted 56 balls, was the highest individual score by an Afghan batter in a T20 World Cup, surpassing Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 84 against South Africa earlier in the tournament. His innings laid the foundation for Afghanistan’s total of 200/4, with Mohammad Nabi later starring with 4-7 to seal the win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
“I enjoyed it. I didn't play as well as I expected in the first two innings. I wanted to use my skills, and I really enjoyed it. There was pressure, and I wanted to perform under pressure. I wanted to play positive cricket, rotate the strike, punish bad balls, and form partnerships, and that's what I did.
“I want to dedicate this to coach Jonathan (Trott) – he has supported me and encouraged us all a lot. We have achieved things at ICC events. This is his last day with us; he taught me a lot. I wish him all the best. We will all miss him,” Zadran said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan also praised Trott, who will be stepping down after the team's run in the tournament. “I think we had some wonderful times with him. He played a major role in where we are now. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best, and we hope to see him again someday.”
Asked about his disappointment in how the campaign panned out, Rashid said, “We were well-prepared, and we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward.”
“There are a couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling, the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series. We have great spinners, good batters at the top, but that's where we need to improve,” Rashid added.
Rashid also thanked the fans who came to support the team in their matches. “Finally, a massive thank you to all the fans who supported us in Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. The love we received made us feel like we were playing at home in Afghanistan. We’re truly grateful for the support everywhere we’ve gone. Please keep backing us, we’ll keep working hard and do our best to entertain you.”
Canada skipper Dilpreet Bajwa acknowledged his side’s shortcomings but praised the exposure gained. “It was great to see that camaraderie out there. I’ve played franchise cricket with Azmatullah Omarzai – we were on the same team – and he’s a very good friend of mine. I’ve also played with Noor, and most of the players know each other through franchise leagues. That’s the beauty of the game today, it builds strong bonds beyond international cricket.”
Asked about where things went wrong, Bajwa said, “It was a tough day for us. We started well after winning the toss and choosing to field, but I think our finishing with the ball wasn’t up to the mark. That’s something we need to improve going forward. In the chase, losing early wickets made it difficult, especially against quality spinners, as we knew that would be challenging.”
Reflecting on the positives from the tournament, Bajwa said, “Overall, it was a good tournament for our players. Yuvraj Samra showed the world that Canada has real talent, and players like Ansh Patel, Harsh, and Navneet also performed well. Individually, there were positives, but as a unit, we didn’t click.
“This World Cup was a valuable learning experience, and we’ll come back stronger. Playing in front of 16,000 fans here in Chennai was special, the atmosphere was fantastic, and we’re thankful for the support. It’s been a tough campaign, but we’re looking forward to doing better in the future.”
