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On February 11, the 2026 World Cup T20 match between Afghanistan and South Africa required two super overs to end. South Africa had the last laugh and Rashid Khan and his players were going through a very tough time as they suffered two consecutive defeats in the tournament.
After the match against South Africa, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott described the defeat as “devastating”. He also singled out Rahmanullah Gurbaz for his outstanding performance.
This was a very close game. To choose the winner, the competition introduces two super players. South Africa, the most experienced team compared to Afghanistan, had the composure to win the match off the last ball of the second Super Over.
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Jonathan Trott praises his children
Jonathan Trotter praised the team’s efforts and admitted the result was unbelievable. They also performed well against New Zealand before taking on South Africa. Both times the Afghan efforts were in vain.
Only the top two teams in each group will qualify for the Super Eights. In Group D, after Afghanistan lost two games in a row, the Proteas and New Zealand became the favorites to advance.
“It just shows how good we are as a team. So, we’ve got some great players, and to have a tough defeat against New Zealand a few days ago and now to play South Africa in a tough group stage is really devastating for us,” Trott said at the post-match press conference.
Trott highlights challenging environment Afghans face
The former England international compared the challenges faced by Afghan cricketers not only on the field but also off it. The growth of an Afghan cricketer is nothing but an inspiring story that will inspire generations of the country. Trotter therefore believed that, despite the defeat, his students should be proud of their fight against South Africa.
“These guys have never been shy about facing the challenges they’ve faced throughout their lives, both on and off the field. So, they should be very proud today, and, obviously, these types of losses sometimes hurt and sting for a while, but I think it’s important that we focus on those areas that we’ve done well, but also focus on the areas that we can improve on and the things that we can do better,” the head coach said.
Why did Afghanistan lose to South Africa?
Based on the coach’s observations, defense played a huge role in the outcome of this game. Jonathan Trott praised the South Africans for their efforts in defence.
“I thought South Africa actually performed well as well. Runs, some catches on the boundaries, in the ring, things like that. I thought they performed really well. Maybe that was the difference today, a little bit,” he explained.
