Jonathan Trott says he is confident Afghanistan will be able to cope with the pressure of the Asia Cup, despite their capitulation in the tri-series final in Sharjah.
The Afghans will be heavily fancied to win the opening game of the tournament, when they face Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
However, doubts over their potential to contend for the title will have been reinforced by the culmination of their preparatory tri-series.
The Afghans had blown away Pakistan in the second of their meetings in the group stage of a competition that also involved the UAE.
They looked in similarly rampant form as their spinners restricted Pakistan to 141 for eight in Sunday night’s final at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
All the confidence they had built rapidly dissipated, though, in the face of an extraordinary spell of bowling by Mohammed Nawaz.
The left-arm spinner took five for 19 in his four overs, including a hat-trick, as Afghanistan crumbled to 66 all out in the 16th over.
While the pitch in Sharjah was assisting the spinners – Abrar Ahmed and Sufyan Muqeem also took two wickets apiece – it was the Afghan batters’ response to pressure which appeared most alarming.
“I think the more they play in big games, the more they will get used to it and get across the line,” Trott, the Afghanistan coach, said.
“We have seen it in the past where we have won games. I think it is harsh [to suggest they have failed under pressure in previous big fixtures].
“We have played well in important matches in bilateral series and have won games, so I am fully confident going into the Asia Cup.
“It was just a case that Pakistan played well and we didn’t, but we know what we need to work on and where we need to get better. We will go about that nice and calmly.”
Afghanistan entered the tri-series being touted by some as the continent’s second-best side, behind defending Asia Cup champions India.
They showed glimpses of why that might be considered the case, in taking two wins off the UAE and trouncing Pakistan in their second pool game.
But the series showed up their inconsistencies, too. They were within one shot of losing to the UAE, and the 75-run loss in the final could linger in the memory.
“We have played under pressure before but I just think no team has won any games [in Sharjah] chasing because of the pitches,” Trott said.
“That is not an excuse because it was a good experience for our guys, a) to be in a final, but also b) because we need to be better at chasing when it is spinning like that.
“We have won games in the past where we have done well chasing, but it was a case that the batters didn’t quite play the right options.”
The Afghans will be based in Abu Dhabi for their group matches in the Asia Cup, where they have games against Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The pitches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium are generally more batsman friendly than was the case towards the end of the tri-series.
But Trott wants his players to be more nimble when it comes to coping with conditions than they showed in Sharjah.
“It is a good example of being able to adapt to conditions as batters, and what we need to work on,” Trott said.
“I’m not sure if the wicket in Abu Dhabi is going to be similar, but it is a good example of, if the wickets are going to be like that, of how we need to play and where we need to get better.”
