Jonathan Trott: The messiah who nurtured Afghanistan like his own

T20 World Cup 2026, AFG vs CAN: Jonathan Trott has taken Afghanistan cricket to greater heights and ended his tenure as head coach following the group match against Canada on Thursday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

“To come to a World Cup and win three is a nice feeling, but also the realisation and reality that we haven’t won anything yet.”

2024 was a year Afghanistan will never forget. For the first time, they broke through to the Super 8s of the T20 World Cup, a moment that sent waves of pride across the nation. But for Jonathan Trott, celebration was never the end goal. Even amid the historic achievement, he spoke about “reality”, about unfinished business, about the hunger to win a title and not just make up the numbers.

And what a journey it became. Afghanistan didn’t just qualify for the Super 8s; they stunned the mighty Australia and surged into the semi-finals, rewriting perceptions along the way. It was fearless, it was bold, and it carried Trott’s fingerprints all over it. He demanded belief before the world believed. He insisted they look the giants in the eye before they began taking them seriously.

Trott never had the glittering, record-breaking playing career of England greats like Joe Root or Alastair Cook. His name was respected, but not placed on a pedestal. Yet as a coach, he built something far more enduring than personal milestones - he built identity. He built standards. He built a mindset.

When his tenure as head coach ended after Afghanistan’s final group match against Canada on Thursday, there was no need for grand celebrations to measure his impact. The Afghan players’ heartfelt tribute said it all. The embraces lingered, and the emotions were raw. This was not merely a coach moving on from a role; it was a mentor stepping away from a mission into which he had poured his heart and soul.

When Trott took charge as Afghanistan’s head coach in 2022, the team was still searching for consistency and belief. After their historic ODI World Cup win over Scotland in 2015, Afghanistan endured a brutal 2019 campaign, losing all nine of their matches. The promise was visible, but the progress had stalled.