Aussies won’t take Afghanistan lightly, coach Trott says

Afghanistan’s performances at the 50-overs and Twenty20 World Cups mean there is no chance of Australia taking them lightly in Friday’s Champions Trophy match, particularly with a place in the semifinals on the line, coach Jonathan Trott said.

Afghanistan beat England by eight runs in Lahore on Wednesday to stay in the hunt for a berth in the last four, underlining their strength in limited-overs cricket.

Trott’s side beat England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to finish sixth at the 50-overs World Cup in 2023 and followed that up by making the semifinals of the T20 edition in 2024, beating Australia along the way.

“It’s all on the line, and since I’ve been coach we’ve played against Australia three times and we’ve been in the game in each of those games,” former England batter Trott told reporters.

“We should take a lot of confidence from that … certainly what happened in the World Cup, T20 World Cup, and I say this to the players as well, that Afghanistan’s never going to be taken lightly ever again.

“We’ve got to be prepared because I know Australia aren’t going to take us lightly. In the past, perhaps people would have seen the fixture and thought it was a little easier than playing a historic Test nation.

“In this format, in these conditions, I don’t see that. Every game that we play is going to be competitive and every game we go into I expect to win.”

Trott said there was a rawness to the team when he took over in 2022 but they have grown with experience.

“I’m quite an ambitious type of guy and I’m ambitious with these talented players,” he added.

“Who knows what we can achieve.”

Reuters