Afghanistan prepared to defy Bangladesh's must-win match, says Trott
Shakib al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy
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Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott stated that his team is well-prepared for the upcoming match against Bangladesh. He also acknowledged the significance of the game for Bangladesh, as they are in a must-win situation in the Asia Cup.
Bangladesh suffered a crushing 5-wicket defeat against co-host Sri Lanka in their opening match of the tournament. After such a defeat Bangladesh are now in a crunchy situation and the Tigers must win the upcoming match to stay alive in the tournament.
“I did watch the game, and I saw some good things from both teams. So, we know it's going to be tough. Both of our games are going to be tough. But focusing on Bangladesh game first, we know that they're going to be desperate to win, obviously,” said Trott during the press conference.
Trott was determined and stated that Afghans will prepare themselves with the same mindset and mentality, emphasizing the need to match Bangladesh's intensity and desire to win.
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“And it's our job to match their intensity and also the desire to win. So, we all know that if we don't come with that mindset, matching them, or better mentality and better skills, we're going to be under pressure. So that's the message today. And that's going to be the message tomorrow. And that's going to be the message on match day as well,” he said.
When asked if Afghanistan had an advantage in reading the pitch conditions and situations due to their earlier arrival in Pakistan, Trott refused to accept it and said that his team cannot rely on the weather and must ensure that they are better than Bangladesh regardless of the conditions.
“We had hot weather in Sri Lanka as well, Hambantota, Colombo. I'm not sure what the weather was like in Kandy yesterday. I didn't see the temperature but, look, all the nations from this area, all the nations in the Asia Cup, they grow up in hot weather, so they'll be used to it. I don't think it'll be a sort of pro for us or we're gonna benefit from it,”
“If we think we're gonna benefit from having been here a few days earlier than Bangladesh, then I think we're in trouble. We can't rely on the weather, alright? So we've gotta make sure whatever weather we deal with, whatever the weather is, we gotta make sure we're better than them. So, that's the mentality and that's the way going forward,” he added.
