Jonathan Trott adds structure, focus to chasing targets with whiteboard method

Afghanistan registered their third win in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup with a thrilling seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka at the Maharashtra Association Cricket Stadium in Pune on October 30. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side’s previous victories came against deafening champions Engalnad and Pakistan.

What garnered attention after the match was the whiteboard chasing target method of Afghan head coach Jonathan Trott. Interestingly, he had marked all the targets the team needed to score in every ten overs.

Notably, Trott has calculated effectively how Afghanistan can reach the 242-run target. The coach expected Afghanistan to score five runs per over, allowing them to reach 50 runs after the first ten overs. According to this calculation, they would get 100 after 20, 150 after 30, and 200 after 40 overs if they chased the mark in 48 overs at a rate of 5.04

Moreover, the 42-year-old noted the targets "achieved" at each interval- 50, 87, 139, and 201. Afghanistan had maintained up with their coach's calculations in the powerplay overs until falling behind, particularly after opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz's four-duck departure.

“There’s a bit more focus with regards to breaking it down into smaller targets. But sometimes, certainly like the Pakistan game, chasing 280 and starting on 0, it’s a long way away. But if you break it down, it seems a lot more manageable. So those sorts of things, little things, motivating the players and keeping them in touch with where we want to be. And it’s also a feel-good factor. If you know you’re on the right track, it’s also a nice feeling as well,” Trott was quoted as saying by Wisden.

Speaking about the game, Afghanistan bowlers ran riot from the start of the first innings after deciding to bowl first after winning the toss. Fazalhaq Farooqi spearheaded Afghanistan's attack in his comeback match, as they bowled Sri Lanka out for a below-par 241 in 49.3 overs. Later, Afghanistan reached the target with 28 balls remaining thanks to half-centuries from Rahmath Shah (62), Shahidi (58), and Azmatullah Omarzai (73).