Afghanistan Must Bounce Back Against Sri Lanka to Keep Asia Cup Hopes Alive: Coach Trott

Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said on Tuesday that they have plenty to play for as they prepare to take on Sri Lanka in their do-or-die Asia Cup group phase game.

Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by eight runs in a close encounter on Tuesday (September 16) as three teams are still in contention for the two playoff spots.

If Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will go through to the Super Fours but if Sri Lanka lose against the Afghans, in that case, all three teams will be have two wins out of three games.

Net run-rate will come into play at that point and with the prevailing scenario, it will be very difficult for Bangladesh. Afghanistan will have to win either by more than 60 runs or with 50 balls to spare to help Bangladesh eke past Sri Lanka's net run rate.

Trott, who wanted to know about the run rate scenario while sitting to attend the presser, did not looked too concerned about these statistics as he believed they have to regroup and earn a win against Sri Lanka to claim their spot in the Super Four.

"We are very optimistic (against Sri Lanka). We have played two games here and we win on Thursday, we go on top of the group. There's plenty to play for.

"There is disappointment but we have to dust ourselves off. There are ups and downs. You have to make sure you have to ride those waves. We have to bounce back on Thursday. If we can win well, it gives us a lot of confidence. There's plenty to play for. We should have played better, but we have to pull our socks up for Thursday," said Trott.

"I look forward to getting back to the dressing room. I will speak to the guys about what lies ahead of us. We have seen the side bounce back from few disappointments. We have turned around really well," he said.

Trott added that PowerPlay score between the two teams was a point of difference in the outcome of the game.

"We weren't good in the field. They got off to a flying start, and were way ahead of us in the PowerPlay scores. They were 59 for no loss, while we made 27 for two and it was a big difference," said.

"They fielded really well, but we didn't field as well as we should have. It is amazing how close you can get by keeping wickets in hand. We lost wickets in crucial times," he said.

"I think it was a wicket where it was better to bat first. We pulled things back really well. They got 90 odd runs after the PowerPlay. We didn't have a lot of luck too. There were a lot of inside edges and plays and misses. We have to dust ourselves off and make sure we are ready for Sri Lanka," he said.