After a productive World Cup in 2023, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has extended the contract of head coach Jonathan Trott. The former English star was at the helm of the coaching duties for 18 months which included several highlight performances of the team. From being minnows, Afghanistan scripted wins over England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Netherlands, while also coming close to beating Australia.
Trott's contract had initially begun in July 2022 and the 18-month stint ended at the end of 2023. The new contract sees the England star being with the Asian side for 2024, which includes a T20 World Cup too. "Afghanistan Cricket Board confirms the extension of the contract with Mr Jonathon Trott, the National Team’s Head Coach, for the year 2024. The decision comes in after his successful 18-month tenure, during which he made significant contributions to the team’s progress and development," ACB wrote in a statement.
Trott was also pleased to have an extension. "Mr. Jonathon Trott expressed his pleasure on the extension of his contract and stated that he is looking forward to spending more time with the squad and building on performances of the recently held ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023," the statement added.
Afghanistan's impressive run under Trott
Afghanistan fared well under the ambit of Trott. They registered 19 wins in 50 International matches under him. The Afghans defeated Bangladesh in their maiden ODI series win and Pakistan in their first T20I series win during this period. In all, Afghanistan won 8 of 23 ODIs and 11 of 26 T20Is under the leadership of Trott.
In the ODI World Cup too, they were quite impressive. The Asian side, who came into the competition with just one win ever, defeated three former World champions - Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka apart from a win over the Dutch.
