(Cricket News) Former England batter Jonathan Trott’s contract as head coach has been extended for another year after he enjoyed success with the Afghanistan men’s cricket team. Trott’s 18-month term ended in 2023, but the Afghanistan Cricket Board decided to extend his contract for 2024 as well.
The Afghans had made great progress on the field in the previous year, which culminated in their performance in the ODI World Cup, where they defeated Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands. They were also on the verge of defeating eventual champions Australia until Glenn Maxwell produced one of the greatest innings in history.
In all, Trott, who was first appointed as head coach of Afghanistan in July 2022, has helped the team win eight out of 23 ODIs, including a maiden series win over Bangladesh, and 11 out of 26 T20Is, including a maiden series win over Pakistan.
Following that campaign, Afghanistan had only one win in World Cup cricket going into the tournament and increased that count to five by the end of the tournament. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with them so far,” he said.
Afghanistan is currently tied 1-1 in their T20I series against the UAE. In January, they will play India in a three-match T20I series to get ready for the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies in June.
Trott’s career with England was legendary, particularly in Test cricket where he amassed 3835 runs in 52 matches and was a major factor in their Ashes victory in 2010–11. At his best, he was a player who could bat for extended stretches of time and put together massive innings in ODI cricket, where he made 2819 runs at an average of 51 with four hundreds and 22 fifties.
However, the intensity of his game began to wear on him towards the end of his career, and he required a break from cricket in 2013–14. Trott eventually retired from England duty in 2015, but his tenure in Afghanistan represented his first head coach of a senior men’s team in international cricket.
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