ILT20 Is Going To Help UAE Players Get Better, Says Jonathan Trott Khaleej Times

Having recently joined Gulf Giants as the new head coach, Jonathan Trott is excited to begin his new innings at the ILT20, the UAE's IPL-style league.

One of the finest England Test batters of this century, Trott has done a commendable job as Afghanistan's head coach, taking the team to the semifinals of the 2024 T20 World Cup, less than a year after the team came very close to reaching the ODI World Cup semifinals in India.

During an interview with Khaleej Times, Trott said he is now looking forward to the opportunity of working with the Adani Sportsline-owned Gulf Giants and helping the young players in the UAE find their groove.

Q. How excited are you to work with the Gulf Giants in the fourth season of ILT20?

Anything new in life is exciting. Obviously, having done a lot of coaching in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the past, I feel that I'm well-equipped in terms of understanding the conditions, and having been here for the majority of the time when the competition was on (in previous seasons). I've watched quite a few games. I got a good understanding of the competition, having spoken to a few of the players, coaches and ex-coaches from the competition.

Q. For the UAE, an associate member of the ICC, to have a league like this is incredible because so many high-profile players have been roped in by the teams...

Yes, and I'm also really excited about it. With the UAE, I'm just looking out the window now at Dubai, and it's just a bustling and growing place, if you compare it to when I first came here 15 years ago, how it's grown. I think that the competition is going to grow in a similar manner as well. The facilities here are second to none. As you said, the UAE being an associate ICC nation, I think as the population grows here, you're going to see the strength of the UAE side continue to grow. They are a good side at the moment for an associate member. But with a tournament like this, local players playing with the best players and coaches, they're only going to get better.

Q. Talking about local players, there are quite a few very talented youngsters in the UAE now. One of them is Aayan Afzal Khan, who will be playing under you at the Gulf Giants. The 19-year-old has already delivered match-winning performances against teams like New Zealand. But it's also about being consistent at the highest level. How can youngsters like him take their game to the next level?

I think that comes down to the players and the amount of exposure they get at the top level. For example, Afghanistan, as a cricket team, benefited hugely from franchise cricket - when your players are constantly playing franchise cricket, watching and learning from the best players, listening to world-class players and the best coaches in the dressing room, it helps a lot. I think you're only going to get better by playing more. So I think the UAE players will gain a lot of experience by playing in ILT20.

Q. Italy, a country famous for its football, recently made cricket headlines by qualifying for the 2026 T20 World Cup. How exciting is it for the ICC, which is putting in a lot of effort to promote the game across the world?

Well, I think it's great. They (Italy) will get to see where their level needs to be to operate in international cricket. But sometimes, in their mind, they'll think that they are great, and I'm sure they're going to go all out and try to create some surprise victories (at the World Cup). But it's the same thing for the Dutch. The Netherlands is also a football nation. But you know their club cricket is really strong. I played there and that only helped my cricket as I learned to play on matting wickets. So I think Italy is just another great story. We've seen the Irish story. We've seen the Dutch story, they beat South Africa in the last (2023 ODI) World Cup. So, it's always exciting to see these teams.

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