Ibrahim Zadran dedicates Player of the Match award to outgoing head coach Jonathan Trott

Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran has dedicated his Player of the Match (POTM) award from the 82-run win over Canada to their outgoing head coach, Jonathan Trott. Trott rendered his services for the last time as head coach of Afghanistan on Thursday as they finished their campaign on a high.

Zadran stood out among all the batters as he posted 95* off 56 balls and laid the foundation of a massive total (200). He was adjudged the Player of the Match for his incredible innings and was quick to express his gratitude to Trott, crediting him for refining his game over the years.

"Want to dedicate this to coach Jonathan [Trott], he has supported me, he has encouraged us all a lot," Zadran said during the post-match presentation. "We have achieved things in ICC events. It's his last day with us, he taught me lots of things. I wish him all the best, we will all miss him a lot."

Zadran batted at an excellent strike rate of 169.64 and smashed seven boundaries and five sixes on a batting-friendly deck at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He dropped anchor and latched onto anything loose that was offered by the Canadian bowling attack.

For the uninitiated, Trott joined as Afghanistan's head coach in July 2022 on an 18-month-long contract and then was given a 12-month-long extension in 2024 through to 2025. Under his guidance, Afghanistan enjoyed a dream run during the course of the ODI World Cup 2023, where they defeated the defending champions England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, nearly cementing a berth in the semifinals.

They impressed further by convincingly beating multiple opponents, including Australia, on their way to the semifinals during the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan will be bitterly disappointed after getting knocked out of the ongoing World Cup as they were expected to qualify at least for the Super Eight stage after the high of the previous edition.