During a pre-match media briefing, Trott mistakenly claimed that Bangladesh had previously won the Asia Cup, only to discover, after a quick online search, that the Tigers have yet to lift the trophy despite reaching three finals.
At one stage, however, Trott mistakenly claimed that Bangladesh had already won the Asia Cup. A journalist quickly corrected him, pointing out that Bangladesh have never lifted the trophy.
Surprised, Trott repeatedly asked, “Are you sure?” before eventually Googling it himself and realizing Bangladesh had only played three finals without winning the title.
Apart from that moment, the Afghan coach was asked whether Bangladesh would be under pressure against them tomorrow, Trott believed they would be.
Trott had earlier said, “Yes, I think Bangladesh will be under pressure, but if you look at history, they’ve won this competition a few times, the Asia Cup.”
Afghanistan’s media manager interrupted him to clarify, but Trott initially refused to accept it, insisting, “I thought they won the 50-over Asia Cup!” After checking online, he sighed and admitted, “I really thought they were champions.”
The Afghan coach then went on to praise Bangladesh, calling them a side with genuine match-winners and warning that his team cannot afford to take them lightly.
He also noted that facing Bangladesh would be a tough challenge. After a five-to-six-day break, Trott is confident his players will return refreshed and ready.
“I think Bangladesh have players who are real match-winners. That makes this a great challenge for us and a good test tomorrow. I’m actually quite happy with this break. It has helped us recharge mentally and physically, especially after playing in this extreme heat. This is a good chance for us to reset, see where we are, and start again,” he explained,
A win against Bangladesh would put Afghanistan one step closer to qualifying for the next round of the Asia Cup.
Trott sounded optimistic, adding, “If we win tomorrow and qualify for the next round, we’ll have a number of matches in a short space of time. I think the schedule is actually in our favor—as long as we play well tomorrow and get the job done in Abu Dhabi.”
