Afghanistan cricket team has rise as the most exciting team in during ongoing ICC World Cup 2023, after their stunning victory over the defending champions, England, which stands as one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
Despite not good start with two losses, the young team of cricketers showcase an all-round performance that shocked the world.
While 2 Two peoples, in addition to the team, deserve credit for the rapid turnaround of the Afghanistan team, Head Coach, Jonathan Trott, and the newly appointed mentor, Ajay Jadeja.
Jonathan Trott – The Head Coach
Very few are aware that the initial choice for the coach of the Afghanistan cricket team was former England cricketer, Graham Thorpe.
Graham Thorpe took over as the Head Coach in March 2022, replacing Lance Klusener, who had resign after two years as Afghanistan’s Head Coach.
But, after two months, Graham Thorpe fell seriously ill and was hospitalize.
As per reports, he would be away from the field for an extend period, prompting Afghanistan to seek a new coach.
Afghanistan Cricket Board (AFB) start for a search for a Head Coach, leading to the recruitment of Jonathan Trott.
As he start, Jonathan Trott was unfamiliar with the local Pashto language spoken by the Afgan players, Jonathan Trott occasionally relied on a translator to communicate with the team.
Despite the language barrier, Jonathan Trott express his enthusiasm for working with the Afghanistan team, whom he refer as a “hotbed of talent.“
Ajay Jadeja – The Mentor
The decision to appoint former Indian cricketer, Ajay Jadeja, as the mentor of the Afghanistan team was a last-minute choice before the team’s came to India for the World Cup.
Ajay Jadeja was brought in to mentor the Afghanistan team, providing them with insights into the Indian conditions and assisting them psychologically in coping with the pressures of the such big games.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said that Ajay Jadeja’s role was not focus on improving their skills but rather on guiding the players through the mental aspects of the game.
Hashmatullah Shahidi said :
“As a mentor, he always talks about how to handle pressure and play against these teams. He can’t work on the specifics of batting, bowling, and other technical aspects. His focus is on building our mental strength and teaching us how to handle pressure from the opposition. So far, it’s proving to be beneficial.”
With Ajay Jadeja, Afghanistan also enroll Hamid Khan as the bowling coach, Riyan Maron as the fielding coach, and Raees Ahmedzai as the fielding coach.
