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While it was the story of Afghanistan and its rise, it was also the story of England’s decline. After an impressive run in the 2023 World Cup and a maiden semi-final appearance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, they continued to show why they are rated as one of the upcoming teams to watch out for.
Afghanistan beat England by eight runs in a Group B match in Lahore to remain alive in the 2025 Champions Trophy. It was a magnificent 177 from Ibrahim Zadran that set them up before all-round performances from Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi helped them get over the line.
Joe Root’s superb knock of 120 went in vain as England slumped to their sixth straight ODI defeat, the second in the tournament which has officially knocked them out. England’s horrific run continued. After failing to defend 351 against Australia, they now failed to chase down 326 at the same ground.
Afghanistan didn’t have the best of starts. After opting to bat first, they lost three wickets in the powerplay. Jofra Archer was on song as he took two wickets in the fifth over of the innings to get England underway. He had Rahmanullah Gurbaz dragging one back onto the stumps before Sediqullah Atal was trapped LBW. Rahmat Shah who got a 90 in the last game was bounced out as Afghanistan slipped to 37/3.
Ibrahim Zadran got off to a sluggish start and was on 2 off 14 deliveries before he started finding the fence regularly. When the third wicket fell, he was on 20 off 25 balls and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi joined him in the middle.
The duo stabilized things for Afghanistan and added 103 runs for the fourth wicket. In the process, Zadran brought up his half-century in 65 balls before upping the ante.
Adil Rashid got England the much-needed breakthrough as he knocked over Shahidi. Azmatullah Omarzai walked in and played an excellent knock of 41 which came off just 31 deliveries. He hit three sixes and a four as he put on a 72-run stand with Zadran who notched up his sixth ODI hundred. The pair scored quickly and the runs came in just 10.3 overs before Omarzai holed out to long on.
At the 40-over mark, Afghanistan were 212/5 as Nabi joined Zadran in the middle. The duo launched a blistering counter-attack and Afghanistan got 113 runs in the final 10 overs. Zadran went past the 150-run mark and recorded the highest-ever score by a batter in the history of the Champions Trophy. He was eventually dismissed in the last over for 177. Nabi smashed 40 off 24 balls as Afghanistan finished on 325/7 in their 20 overs.
Joe Root shines with 120 but finds little support as England fall 8 runs short
England didn’t have a great start to the run-chase. They lost Phil Salt and Jamie Smith early. The former was knocked over by Omarzai before Smith tried to launch Nabi off the latter’s first ball of the spell. At that stage, England were reduced to 30/2 in the 7th over.
Joe Root got going with a few boundaries while Ben Duckett continued his good form. Duckett was even dropped in the 14th over when he was on 30 as Shahidi put down a straightforward chance at mid-off.
The introduction of the Afghanistan spinners didn’t change much as they struggled for consistency. The dew was settling in quickly as well and the ball was getting harder to grip. Rashid Khan was taken for 18 runs in his first two overs before he finally broke the 58-run stand as he had Duckett LBW.
Harry Brook walked in and looked in decent touch but once again couldn’t convert his start. He fell for 25 as Nabi picked up his second wicket. At the other end, Root was going about business in prime fashion, rotating strike beautifully and punishing anything loose.
Jos Buttler joined him and struggled to get going straightaway. He was on 12 off 24 balls before he got a big six off Nabi to get going. Root had gone past fifty and was looking set for a big one. The experienced duo put England on track and added 83 runs for the 5th wicket before Omarzai came back to break the partnership. He bounced out Buttler before Gulbadin Naib found Liam Livingstone’s edge to leave England at 233/6.
That was in the 39th over and the required run rate was still in control with 93 needed off 68 balls. Root was batting really well and brought up his 17th ODI hundred, his first since June 2019.
The great England batter was suffering from cramps but he was going at a great rate. He brought out the scoop and hit Fazalhaq Farooqi for a six before hitting Omarzai for a boundary in the following over to keep up with the rate. However, the Afghan all-rounder had the better of Root who guided a ramp straight to the keeper.
England needed 39 off 25 balls when Root was dismissed. Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer kept them going with a flurry of boundaries, reducing the equation down to 17 off 14 balls. That’s when the game came back to life as Overton holed out to long on and Omarzai picked up his 4th.
Archer followed suit in the next over as England were nine down with 13 still to get off seven balls. Mark Wood who had suffered an injury while bowling walked out at No. 11 but the task was too steep as Rashid was out on the penultimate delivery and Afghanistan recorded yet another famous win.
It was Afghanistan’s second successive win over England in ICC ODI tournaments. They had beaten the Jos Buttler-led side back in the 2023 World Cup as well.
Afghanistan have put themselves in a great position. The equation is simple for them. If they beat Australia, they will qualify for the semis. England have officially been knocked out.
BRIEF SCORES: Afghanistan 325/7 (Ibrahim Zadran 177, Azmatullah Omarzai 41, Mohammad Nabi 40, Jofra Archer 3/64, Liam Livingstone 2/28) beat England 317 all out (Joe Root 120, Jos Buttler 38, Jamie Overton 32, Azmatullah Omarzai 5/58, Mohammad Nabi 2/57) by 8 runs.
