- 'Are you crazy?': Mainz fans slam Klopp's Red Bull move
- Outsider Anmaat stars on British Champions Day
- Man Utd hit back against Brentford to ease pressure on Ten Hag
- Boniface sends Leverkusen past Frankfurt, Leipzig go top
- Gaza rescuers say 400 killed in two-week Israeli assault in north
- On-form Maqala fires Bayonne past Farrell-less Racing
- Liam Payne's sister posts poignant tribute to her late brother
- 'Our world collapsed': Brazil dam disaster victims seek justice in UK
- Threats and diplomacy: Iran's dual strategy on Israel
- Spurs destroy West Ham in eight-minute blitz
- Japan 'zombie' train spooks passengers ahead of Halloween
- Spurs run riot to beat West Ham
- New Zealand beat Britain to defend America's Cup
- New Zealand need 107 to win after Sarfaraz, Pant heroics
- G7 defence summit considers Gaza, Lebanon as conflicts rage
- Austrian far-right radical arrested after defying Swiss entry ban
- New Zealand hit back after Sarfaraz, Pant heroics in rain-hit India Test
- Jailed Guatemalan journalist Zamora granted house arrest
- Netanyahu residence targeted as Hezbollah launches barrage at Israel
- Green leads at LPGA in South Korea as Jeeno surges
- Electricity blackout puts Cubans on edge
- North Korea troop deployment locks in Russia military alliance
- New Zealand and South Africa face off in Women's T20 World Cup final
- Maresca defies expectations with Chelsea revival
- G7 defence summit convenes during 'historic moment'
- Harris, Trump deploy celebrity power in must-win states
- Bella Nipotina wins world's richest turf race, The Everest
- Sarfaraz ton powers India to 344-3 in rain-hit Test
- Man arrested after 'Molotov'-like bombs tossed at Japan ruling party HQ
- Jane Goodall warns on 'false promises' at UN biodiversity meet
- Romantasy and dark college: young readers drive new literary trends
- King Charles given military honours on first day of Australia tour
- Martin extends championship lead with Australian MotoGP sprint win
- Chinese drone maker DJI sues Pentagon over blacklisting
- Lynx edge Liberty to force game five in WNBA Finals
- Indonesia's Prabowo targets growth spurt with big projects
- Spectre of royal meddling haunts Charles in Australia
- Pyongyang says recovered remains of South Korean drone
- Japan shifting back to nuclear to ditch coal, power AI
- Google wins delay in opening Android app store to rivals
- Martin takes dominant pole for Australian MotoGP
- Royal rest for cancer patient king on first day of Australia tour
- Man arrested after throwing suspected petrol bombs at Japan ruling party HQ: media
- Verstappen ends long wait for pole at US Grand Prix sprint qualifying
- 'Heartbreaking': Dad, fans grieve Liam Payne's death
- Ligue 1 leaders Monaco held by Lille in stalemate
- Record high Colombian cocaine production in 2023: UN
- McLaren boss blasts rival's comments on Norris as "tasteless"
- El Salvador activists acquitted after contentious trial
- FIA inspect Red Bull car's to check controversial set-up device
Trott says Afghanistan have 'no scarring' ahead of T20 World Cup semi
Coach Jonathan Trott believes Afghanistan will go into Wednesday's T20 World Cup semi-final against South Africa boosted by "having no scarring, no history" unlike the accident-prone Proteas.
Afghanistan will be playing in the last-four of any World Cup for the first time.
South Africa are still without a major global title with just the 1998 Champions Trophy to show for all their endeavours.
They have also been accused of "choking" on big occasions.
Losing to Australia in the 1999 World Cup semi-finals after a farcical run-out and a blunder in reading the rain rules against Sri Lanka on home turf in 2003 are famously among their catalogue of horrors.
"We go into the semi-final with no scarring or no 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."
South Africa have defeated Afghanistan in their only two other T20 meetings -- by 59 runs at Barbados in the 2010 T20 World Cup and 37 runs in Mumbai six years later.
The Proteas have won all seven matches they have played at this World Cup but have teetered on the edge of embarrassment more than once.
In the first round, they defeated the Netherlands by four wickets after being 12-4 at one stage chasing just 104 to win.
A four-run win over Bangladesh followed before they avoided what would have been a seismic shock in a one-run victory over Nepal.
In the Super Eights, they squeezed past defending champions England by just seven runs.
Afghanistan were defeated by 47 runs at the hands of India in their second round opener before a stunning 21-run victory over Australia.
They sealed their place in the last-four with a nail-biting eight-run victory against Bangladesh on Monday.
Trott said it felt "surreal" to have led Afghanistan into the semi-finals.
The 43-year-old has certainly developed close bonds with the team since taking over as coach in July 2022.
After the rain-hit win over Bangladesh in Saint Vincent he was carried off on the players' shoulders.
"When I took over, I was astounded by the talent that I saw," added Trott.
"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."
P.Silva--AMWN