Trott pleased with Naib at No. 3, defends non-selection of Noor

Since the start of the 2024 T20 World Cup, Afghanistan have rifled through 11 players at No.3, but they have now found the right player for the role at this World Cup, according to their head coach Jonathan Trott. And that player is Gulbadin Naib, who had briefly performed the same role for Afghanistan during the 2024 tournament.

Returning to the No.3 spot for the first time since then, Naib clattered a career-best 63 off 35 balls against New Zealand in Chennai. Naib displayed the traits of a seasoned No.3, absorbing the early pressure and then going from 18 off 16 balls to a fifty off 29. Afghanistan's team management was even willing to push the promising Sediqullah Atal - their most prolific No.3 since the 2024 T20 World Cup - down the order to accommodate Naib at that spot.

"Without giving too many tactics away, I thought he plays well and that [No.3] position suits him," Trott said of Naib at his post-match press conference. "So hopefully he can continue to do that. I thought he's looked decent form. He just hasn't got the runs in the series against the West Indies. He didn't get too many [runs], but hopefully he's starting to hit form now and he can continue this form for the rest of the tournament."

Naib has previously enjoyed success in India at No. 3 in 2024, when he was the third-highest scorer, with 112 runs in two innings at a strike rate of over 190, in a three-match T20I series. He also brings with him the experience of batting up the order for Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 in the UAE and captaining the franchise in the Global Super League in Guyana. Naib was recently dropped from Afghanistan's T20I team after a difficult Asia Cup, but his experience continues to be valued.

"He's a strong hitter of the ball. He's very experienced," Trott said. "He's played a lot of cricket all around the world and has been successful in India before in our T20 series a couple of years ago. He's fond of playing here in India and these wickets suit him, so hopefully he can continue that form, he's a good player."

Afghanistan have unearthed another exciting batter in Darwish Rasooli. The 26-year-old had made his T20I debut four years ago, and recently turned a corner with three successive fifties in the format including a match-winning 84 off 59 balls against West Indies in Dubai last month. On Sunday on a challenging Chepauk pitch, he played some eye-catching strokes, including a scythed four to the cover boundary off a wide yorker from Lockie Ferguson. Trott sees a bright future for Rasooli.

"He's been in the squad a few times and we saw how well he played against the West Indies in the series there in Dubai," Trott said. "So his form continued today and he solidifies that middle order nicely. His form is great and hopefully like Gulbadin he can continue that form at No. 5 and that power! We saw the power that he has.

"So I'm excited to see him go for the rest of the tournament. He's developed nicely, and he's been in and around the squads. Our coaches have worked with him, so they deserve a lot of credit. Hopefully, all the hard work pays off for himself, but also the work we've done with him."

Afghanistan went into the match without left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad, who was particularly impressive at Chepauk for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025. Trott didn't find any fault with their choice of bowling combination on a grassy pitch with cracks in it, but he wasn't pleased with the execution of the fast bowlers. While left-armer Fazalhaq Farooqi erred too full in the early exchanges, Ziaur Rahman, who had replaced the injured Naveen-ul-Haq, struggled with his lengths and lines. The two quicks had combined figures of 5-0-58-0.

"We thought with the cracks [there] would be a little uneven bounce and we were right with that. I think the selection was correct, we just didn't bowl well enough," Trott said. "The seamers just didn't bowl well enough unfortunately. I thought they [New Zealand batters] played well. They put pressure on the seamers.

"Hindsight is always a nice thing or a dangerous thing as well. I didn't think it was going to spin a huge amount as well. I know Noor has got experience playing here, but these are new wickets, so it's not like he would have bowled on them before. There is that, but you always think whenever you lose, you wish you could have done things a little bit differently, don't you?"