Jonathan Trott, Afghanistan's head coach, has limited command of the players' native language, but has learned a few words of Pashto. Getty Images/Matt Roberts
As Afghanistan's head coach, Jonathan Trott may well be unique in international sport: he has never been to the country he coaches.
“It's really difficult,” he explains. “For players who are constantly away from home, it is really difficult. They never play at home, always away.”
Trott was appointed to the post 14 months ago, a year after the Taliban regained control of the country. It is clear that he does not like to talk about politics.
“I’m not a politician,” he says. “So I have no say – I stay out of politics and try to keep politics out of the dressing room as much as possible.”
Not only does Trott not have the opportunity to visit Afghanistan, but he also has poor command of the players’ native language , although I learned a few words in Pashto.
“If something is really important, you need a translator, but cricket is a universal language. And a lot of guys play franchise games – their English improves,” he says. “I always encourage guys to speak up. I check that they can speak their language and then translate it for me. So it's not just one way traffic – I want guys to speak up and interact as much as possible.”
Trott talks to by their players during the Cricket World Cup match against hosts India. Photo: Getty Images/Matt Roberts
After working as a consultant, including in England and Scotland, Afghanistan became Trott's first role as head coach. He found the task very different from the game – he played 52 Tests and won three Ashes, as well as 68 one-day internationals – but it was no less rewarding.
“As a player, you are put in front of cameras and tested,” he says. “As a coach you are tested off the field. How you can get the players in the right frame of mind or technically and inform them to get out on the field and compete – that's where the pressure is. I really enjoy it, I really love coaching.
“You are constantly developing as a coach. What's really cool is that you get into a lot of situations where you have to make decisions pretty quickly. It's always fun – the pressure of decision-making, selection and practice.”
For Trott, coaching in Afghanistan also presents deep cultural challenges. “Obviously it’s very different. Once you get into it and get used to it, you understand the importance of their culture and what is important to them and what is sacred and how they look at life outside of cricket,” he says.
“This is what acts as the goal of the team is to understand each other, give and take and respect each other. I think we're doing a good job of that.”
This will be Trott's second match with England as head coach after Afghanistan's five-wicket defeat in the T20 World Cup in Australia last year.
“It’s always something special,” he says. “Most of them I either coached or played with or against – or they coached me, David Saker. So I know most of the guys very, very well.”
“I'm very ambitious in my coaching – I don't know what the future holds for me.”
Trott intends to one day become England manager. At 42, he has plenty of time. “Yes, absolutely,” he says. “I am very ambitious in my coaching work. It's about just getting to the end of the World Cup and hopefully having a very, very good World Cup, and then taking stock and seeing what the options are.”
Only after the World Cup will Trott know The board of directors offers him to extend his contract. “I’m very open to talking about staying,” he says. “I don’t know what the future holds.”
So far, the campaign to host the World Cup in Afghanistan is stuttering. They lost to Bangladesh by just 156 runs; and although they scored 272 against India on Wednesday, they still lost by eight wickets.
Trott is disappointed that Afghanistan have so far failed to live up to the promise they have shown under him in bilateral cricket. Afghanistan beat Pakistan in the T20I series this year and recorded an impressive away win in Bangladesh.
Disappointing and average was Trott's verdict on Afghanistan's first two matches. “I don't think we've really achieved our goals in the game yet.”
“They play a lot of T20 – they have a game to clear boundaries”
As a player, Trott was renowned for his ability to vary his shots without taking risks. It is a trait that Afghanistan's batting players – typically boom or bust in their methods – are still developing. Against India, Afghanistan scored 142 runs in boundaries, including seven sixes, but only 115 other runs in the remaining 270 balls.
“Strike rotation and spot percentage is definitely a key area we're trying to work on,” Trott explains. “They play a lot of T20. They have a game to clear the boundaries. If they can get more balls between those boundaries properly, they will become a dangerous team.”
When Afghanistan emerged in the mid-2010s, there was hope that they could quickly emulate Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in challenging top-level teams. However, without the help of political events, Afghanistan stumbled. Since beating Scotland in the 2015 World Cup, they have lost 14 games in a row in the ODI World Cup.
Trott believes his side are still too inexperienced. Apart from star players Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, they have no other regular players in the Indian Premier League.
“There are very, very good players who just lack experience,” says Trott. “They're playing in tournaments like this and playing more regularly against big Test nations in ODIs and T20s – I think they're bound to grow.”
There were two earthquakes in Afghanistan this week, killing more than 1,000 people. Players, including Rashid, donate their match fees to relief efforts and search and rescue efforts. The cricket team remained in a familiar position: as a rare beacon of hope for a country that has endured such a brutal history.
“The boys respond very well to this kind of pressure and to their followers. They know how important cricket is to the people of the country. They try to win and bring them happiness and joy,” says Trott.
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