India, Feb. 20 -- In Afghanistan's final match of the 2026 T20 World Cup, which was also his last as the team's head coach, Jonathan Trott was still scribbling down notes in his book.

The end of a four-year coaching stint, during which he took Afghan cricket to loftier heights was defined by centimeters separating match outcomes and group of death standings. And the end of the 2024 World Cup semi finalists' campaign two years on was capped off with Afghanistan registering their biggest total in a men's T20 World Cup, for an 82-run win over Canada.

What if Fazalhaq Farooqi was just a tad quicker in running back and his bat not millimetres short of the crease when 2 were needed off 3 against South Africa? What if Rahmanullah Gurbaz's shot...