The Afghanistan vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2026 match on February 11 needed two super overs to reach a conclusion. It was the South Africans who got the last laugh, and a very tough phase for Rashid Khan and his boys, who sustained back-to-back two losses in the tournament.
After the match against South Africa, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott described the defeat as “devastating.” He specially mentioned the standout performance of Rahmanullah Gurbaz as well.
It was a very close contest between those two sides. To find out the winner, two Super Overs were introduced into the contest. South Africa, the most experienced team in comparison to Afghanistan, held their nerves and claimed the match in the very last ball of the second Super Over.
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Jonathan Trott praised his boys
Jonathan Trott praised the team’s efforts and admitted that the result came very hard for them to believe. They fought well against New Zealand as well before facing South Africa. On both occasions, the efforts the Afghans made went in vain.
Only the top two teams from each group will be eligible to play the Super Eight round. From Group D, after Afghanistan’s two back-to-back defeats, the Proteas and the Kiwis are now the favorites to qualify.
“Just shows what we have as a side. So, we’ve got some amazing players, and it’s just really devastating for the guys after a tough loss a few days ago against New Zealand and now against South Africa in a tough group as well,” Trott said at the post-match press conference.
Trott highlighted the challenging circumstances around the Afghans
The former England international compared the challenges the Afghanistan cricketers used to face not only in the field, but also out of the ground. The raise of the Afghan cricketers is nothing but an inspiring story which will inspire generations on the nation. So, Trott opined, despite the defeat, his students should be proud about the fight they put on against South Africa.
“These guys are never shy of rising against the challenges that they face throughout their lives, on and off the field. So, today they should be very proud, and, obviously, these types of losses sometimes can hurt and sting for a while, but I think it’s important we look at those areas that we did really well in, but also areas that we could improve and things we could have done better,” the head coach said.
Why Afghanistan lost vs South Africa?
According to the coach’s observation, the fielding played a massive role behind the result of the match. Jonathan Trott praised South Africans for their efforts while fielding.
“I think South Africa fielded pretty well, actually, as well. The run out, a few catches on the boundary, on the ring, those sorts of things. I think they fielded really well. Maybe that was the difference today, a little bit”, he explained.
Read More: How Can Afghanistan Still Qualify for Super 8 After Back-to-Back Defeats in T20 World Cup 2026?
