Quite excited to play India in a day game: Jonathan Trott
Bridgetown (PTI): Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott feels his team is a stronger unit in a day game and expects his sprightly bunch to optimise the conditions against a formidable India in their opening Super 8 fixture here on Thursday.
Afghanistan come into the Super 8s, high on confidence, having won three of their four league games including one against New Zealand. Their sole loss came against West Indies earlier this week.
“Day games actually suit us better. So, quite excited to play India in a day game. Obviously, they are one of the favourites and obviously that has added pressure for India," former England Test batter said.
He doesn't feel that Afghanistan can be dubbed as underdogs anymore.
"........and hopefully, we can come in obviously perceived as underdogs but in my mind very much not underdogs and fully prepared and ready for the battle that confronts us tomorrow which I'm very excited about,” Trott said on Wednesday.
Afghanistan, who were close to a semi-final berth in the ODI World Cup in India last year, are a stronger force in the shortest format. All big teams are wary of them and Trott sees that as a compliment to his unit.
“It's a compliment, but also earned as well. We've had, as you see in he IPL, we've got a lot of players playing a lot of T20 cricket around the world and now it's about putting that together as a side I think in the past we've had some good individual players, but we need all those players playing together as a side.”
Spinners have been Afghanistan’s strength traditionally but in this tournament, left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi has been their standout bowler and is currently sitting at the top of wicket takers’ charts.
“When you've got the spinners with the experience of T20 cricket, like we have, I think you would obviously say that's one of our strengths, but yet one of our seamers is a leading wicket-taker in the tournament. So, I think we've seen certainly over the last couple of years a more rounded side. So, if it swings and seams, we can take wickets, if it spins hopefully, we can take wickets as well.”
India and Afghanistan had played a thrilling double Super Over in Bengaluru earlier this year. Reminded of that game India narrowly won, Trott added: “What I take away from the match is we should have won it, in that super over. But also, what I take away, it shows how the gap is closing with regards to our side, the ability that our players have to be able to chase as well in T20 cricket.
“That was a fantastic chase in Bangalore and unfortunately, we didn't win. To have a second Super over, I'm not sure that's ever happened before.”
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
