Afghanistan defeated England by eight runs in Lahore on Wednesday and they continue to stay in the hunt for top-four, solidifying their strength in limited overs cricket.
Trott’s team defeated England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to take the sixth place at the ODI World Cup in 2023, and then progressed to the semi-finals of the T20 edition last year, where they prevailed over Australia.
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“It’s all on the line, and since I’ve been coach we’ve played against Australia three times and we’ve been in the game in each of those games,” former England batter Trott told reporters.
“We should take a lot of confidence from that … certainly what happened in the World Cup, T20 World Cup, and I say this to the players as well, that Afghanistan’s never going to be taken lightly ever again.
“We’ve got to be prepared because I know Australia aren’t going to take us lightly. In the past, perhaps people would have seen the fixture and thought it was a little bit easier than playing a historic test nation.
“In this format, in these conditions, I don’t see that. Every game that we play is going to be competitive and every game we go into I expect to win.”
Trott explained that there was a rustiness to the side when he took over responsibilities in 2022, but showed that they have grown with experience.
“I’m quite an ambitious type of guy and I’m ambitious with these talented players,” he added.
“Who knows what we can achieve.”
