Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott believes his team holds a unique advantage over South Africa in Wednesday's T20 World Cup semi-final due to their lack of historical baggage.
Afghanistan, making their first appearance in a World Cup semi-final, enter the match with no prior scars or failures at this stage, unlike the often unlucky Proteas.
South Africa, despite winning the 1998 Champions Trophy, has a notorious history of faltering in crucial knockout matches, including their infamous failure in the 1999 World Cup semi-final.
"We go into the semi-final with no scarring or history with regards to semi-finals. This is uncharted territory for us," said Trott, the former Ashes-winning England batsman, who was born and raised in South Africa. "We're just going to go out there and give it our all. There's no preconceived ideas on it all, or history of failure or success in semi-finals in past years."
"For us, it's a new challenge and I think that makes us dangerous in the semi-finals as a side with nothing to lose and obviously a lot of pressure on the opposition," Trott added.
South Africa has bested Afghanistan in their only two T20 encounters. However, despite winning all seven matches in this World Cup, they have had several close calls. Afghanistan secured their semi-final spot with a dramatic eight-run victory over Bangladesh in the last Super 8 clash.
Trott, who took over as Afghanistan's coach in July 2022, praised the team's raw talent and expressed his pride in leading them to the semi-finals.
"When I took over, I was astounded by the talent that I saw," Trott said. "There was a certain rawness to it all and no real structure to how the game was played or thought about."
"I've just tried to add here and there. At no stage have I tried to clip anybody's wings. I'm just trying to make the bow of the arrow even stronger so that they can go for longer, win more games and shoot for the stars even further away," he added.
Squads
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik. Reserves: Sediq Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Saleem Safi.
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