Intense Rivalry
On Sunday, Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott expressed his team’s eagerness to renew their “passionate” rivalry with Pakistan. Both teams are in dire need of a win at the World Cup.
Pakistan has suffered two consecutive losses following two initial victories, while Afghanistan managed a stunning triumph against defending champions England but also faced three defeats.
Tensions between the two sets of fans erupted outside the stadium during a 2019 World Cup match in Leeds, which Pakistan narrowly won by three wickets. Additionally, an incident almost led to a physical confrontation between Afghanistan fast bowler Fareed Malik and Pakistan batsman Asif Ali in a Twenty20 game in Sharjah last year.
Trott remarked, “I think for them [Afghanistan players], it’s a intense rivalry that excites them. I think it’s a rivalry that sometimes in the past has been very passionate.”
He added, “Both teams, I think, respect each other but are very desperate to win.”
Regarding reports that Pakistan had sought to change the venue of the match to counter Afghanistan’s world-class spin attack, Trott stated that he was unaware of such efforts but noted that both teams possessed capable spinners.
Afghanistan’s spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi had previously proven their prowess, contributing to an upset 69-run win over England, although that game was held in New Delhi.
“It’s everybody’s job, not just the spinners, to win games. There’s batsmen who’ve got to put runs on the board or batsmen who’ve got to chase down a total,” emphasized Trott.
Afghanistan, having lost all seven ODIs against Pakistan, can take satisfaction in their performance against Pakistan in Twenty20 matches, having secured victory in three of their last four encounters.
“We always look to put the opposition under pressure straight away, so we’ll be looking to do that tomorrow obviously, and I don’t think there’s any thoughts with regards to previous matches,” Trott emphasized.
