England had all under control until Afghanistan scripted a thrilling comeback at the Gaddafi Stadium. The game was slipping away from the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side but the wicket of Joe Root changed the complexion of the game as Afghanistan beat England by eight runs to remain alive in the Champions Trophy 2025. On the other hand, following the defeat, the Jos Buttler-led side are now out of the semi-final race.
Batting first, Ibrahim Zadran stole the show with his 177-run knock. He broke several records, including the most runs by an individual in Champions Trophy history. Courtesy of his phenomenal knock, Afghanistan posted 325 runs on the board. Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi supported him well, which played a vital part in Afghanistan pulling off a phenomenal win.
Things weren’t easy for the team, especially after they were reduced 37/3 at one stage but Zadran kept grinding and ended up helping Afghanistan set up a defendable total on the board.
In the second innings, things got complicated for England after Phil Salt and Jamie Smith departed early. The team failed to stitch big partnerships, which played a part in them losing the match in the end. Joe Root tried to fight back for the longest time possible, scoring 120 runs off 111 balls but his dismissal turned out to be the deciding factor.
The veteran proved to be the one-man army for England before Omarzai picked up the prized wicket in the 46th over to turn the tides. Jamie Overton tried to rescue but he too failed to do so, having departed after scoring 32 runs.
England were close to getting the job done but in the last five overs, the Afghanistan bowlers were extremely disciplined to win the match. Meanwhile, this was England’s fifth straight defeat in ODIs, having lost all three matches against India earlier in the month and now back-to-back games in the Champions Trophy. On the other other, Afghanistan vs Australia is now a virtual quarter-final as the winner will progress to the semis