Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott was left highly disappointed with his team’s performance in Asia Cup 2025. Notably, many had labelled Rashid Khan & Co. as the ‘dark horses’ coming into the tournament, however they ended up falling at the first hurdle itself and got knocked of the continental tournament with their 6-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka on Thursday.
Afghanistan entered the Asia Cup 2025 as one of the most exciting and dangerous sides in the tournament, with experts and fans alike backing them to make it to the Super Four and even challenge for a place in the final. Their bowling depth, experienced all-rounders, and fearless batting order made them a genuine threat.
However, their campaign ended abruptly after a crucial defeat against Sri Lanka in a must-win encounter, which not only dashed their hopes but also confirmed their elimination from the competition. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh progressed to the Super Four stage from the group, while Afghanistan bowed out despite flashes of brilliance during their short stay.
Afghanistan’s journey in Asia Cup 2025
Notably, Afghanistan began their campaign in style, crushing Hong Kong by 94 runs in their opening clash. The performance lifted expectations, with Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai leading the way with strong displays. But their momentum faltered in the second match against Bangladesh. In a closely fought contest, Afghanistan fell short by just eight runs, a defeat that significantly dented their qualification chances.
The final group match against Sri Lanka was a do-or-die clash, where Afghanistan needed to deliver their best. Mohammad Nabi’s late fireworks powered them to a competitive total of 169/8, but their bowlers and fielders could not defend it. Sri Lanka chased the target with six wickets in hand, sealing Afghanistan’s exit from the Asia Cup.
Following the disappointing result, head coach Jonathan Trott addressed the media and offered a candid assessment of his side’s performance. Jonathan Trott admitted that while the batting unit did its job reasonably well, it was in the bowling and fielding departments where Afghanistan let the game slip.
Coach Jonathan Trott opens up on the dismal performance of Afghanistan in Asia Cup 2025
Afghanistan head coach Jonathon Trott said on Thursday that sometimes ‘setback helps to regroup’ as they made an early exit from the ongoing Asia Cup. Afghanistan were one of the favourites to progress past the group stage, but successive defeats to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka ended their campaign prematurely.
Sri Lanka sealed their place in the Super 4s with a clinical six-wicket win over Afghanistan in the final Group B clash. The result also confirmed Bangladesh’s progression, while Afghanistan bowed out despite Mohammad Nabi’s blistering 22-ball 60, which lifted them from near collapse to a competitive 169/8 – only for it to go in vain.
“It was very disappointing and a hard one to swallow. We thought we were in a good position, believing 170 after Nabi’s heroics was a good total. However, their batters played rather well, and we sort of aided them with our bowling and fielding.
“We didn’t start well in the power play with our bowling, which gave them a leg up. We just weren’t at the races and made too many basic errors in batting, bowling, and in the field. You can’t win cricket games, especially in tournaments like this, with such errors,” Trott told reporters after the game.
“We came here with huge ambitions, and I was very ambitious about what we could achieve. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do that, and we need to figure out why.
“We have a lot of T20 cricket coming up, including the World Cup in February. All the coaches, including myself, and all the players need to think long and hard about where we went wrong and how we need to get better.
“Sometimes these setbacks can help us regroup and ensure we don’t make the same mistakes in the future.”
Jonathan Trott added that they missed the services of Naveen-ul-Haq, who was ruled out of the tournament due to injury.
“Potentially, yes (we missed the service of a pace bowler). Unfortunately, we missed Naveen; if he had been fit, it would have been a completely different kettle of fish.
“This is certainly something to look at, and we need to ensure we have the right stock of bowlers.”