Jonathan Trott to Dwayne Bravo - Who Are The Coaches Behind Afghanistan's Historic Run in T20 World Cup 2024?

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Afghanistan created history on Tuesday (June 25) by reaching the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final following an 8-run (DLS Method) victory over Bangladesh in the final Super 8 match of the tournament.

Rashid Khan-led side, who had earlier defeated Australia to keep their last four hopes alive, completed the task of semi-final qualification by successfully defending a meagre 114 in a rain-affected match at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent.

The Afghans have reached a point where their wins over the big teams can no longer be termed as an upset as they have been consistently getting the better of teams backed to beat them in white-ball cricket.

In the T20 World Cup 2024, Afghans qualified for the Super 8s from a group that included West Indies and New Zealand as well as Uganda and Papua New Guinea. While there was rare blip against the Windies, they defeated the other three teams comfortably.

In the Super Eights, they lost to India in the opening game, but showed tremendous fight to beat Australia and Bangladesh from impossible positions to continue their fairytale run in the show-piece tournament.

And the reason behind their success is the playing personnel and also the brains off the field, especially the coaching staff who are with the team right now. So, let's take a look at Afganistan's coaches:

Who are the coaches behind Afghanistan's historic run in the T20 World Cup 2024?

Head coach - Jonathan Trott: Former England batter has been one of the key figures behind the team's success in recent years. He was appointed the head coach in July 2022. And since being named the head coach, he has overseen some of their great fightbacks.

During Trott's tenure, Afghanistan has been improving as a unit, starting with their display in the ODI World Cup 2023, when they defeated England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Now, he has overseen the team's victories over New Zealand and Australia in the T20 World Cup 2023.

Bowling consultant - Dwayne Bravo: Former West Indies all-rounder Bravo was named the consultant of the team just ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 for his home knowledge with the tournament being played at the Caribbean.

And the two-time T20 World Cup winner has been of great help for the Afghanistan team, guiding from the boundary ropes on where to place fielders and what deliveries to target at which batter. That was quite evident in the closing stages of the victories over Australia and Bangladesh.

While Bravo and Trott are most prominent names, the others on the Afghanistan coaching staff include, South Africa's Andrew Puttick (batting coach), Afghanistan's own Hamid Hassan (bowling coach), Australian Shane McDermott (fielding coach) and South African Jason Douglas (strength and conditioning coach).

What about Ajay Jadeja? Is he still part of Afghanistan backroom staff?

Former India cricket Ajay Jadeja was appointed mentor for Afghanistan's ODI World Cup 2023, and no longer serves the team in any role. But he was also key in motivating the Afghanistan team during their victories in last year's World Cup.