NEW DELHI: Afghanistan created waves at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 by pulling off a remarkable upset, defeating defending champions England by 69 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
After winning the toss, England opted to bowl first, putting Afghanistan to bat. Afghanistan’s opening batsman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, played a scintillating knock, scoring 80 runs off 57 balls. Supported by a crucial half-century from wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil, Afghanistan posted a competitive total of 284 runs. Spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman made significant contributions in the lower order, helping Afghanistan set a challenging target.
In response, England faced early setbacks as left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed opener Jonny Bairstow in the second over. Afghanistan’s spin trio then took control, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissing Joe Root and Mohammad Nabi removing Dawid Malan. England captain Jos Buttler fell for just nine runs, further denting England’s chase.
Star leg-spinner Rashid Khan added to England’s woes, claiming crucial wickets of Liam Livingstone and Adil Rashid. Despite a resilient 66-run innings from Harry Brook, England found themselves struggling at 169-8 after Brook’s dismissal in the 35th over.
𝐀𝐅𝐆𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐍! 🎊
What a momentous occasion for Afghanistan as AfghanAtalan have defeated England, the reigning champions, to register a historic victory. A significant achievement for Afghanistan! 🤩👏#AfghanAtalan | #CWC23 | #AFGvENG | #WarzaMaidanGata pic.twitter.com/miNw8WcDsw
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 15, 2023
England, who had previously lost the tournament opener against New Zealand, failed to recover from Afghanistan’s spin onslaught, ultimately being bowled out for 215 runs. Afghanistan’s spinners dominated the famed English batting lineup, securing an unexpected yet well-deserved victory.
Afghanistan Batting Against England
Earlier, Afghanistan set a challenging target of 285 runs for England. Afghanistan’s innings saw a strong start with openers Rehmanullah Gurbaz (80) and Ibrahim Zadran (28) forging a solid partnership of 114 runs. However, England’s bowlers made a strong comeback, claiming three wickets for just eight runs.
Skipper Shahidi (14) and Omarzai (19) also fell quickly, but Ikram Alikhil (58) along with contributions from Mujeeb Ur Rehman (28) and Rashid Khan (23) pushed the team’s total to 284 runs before being all out on the penultimate ball of the innings.
Adil Rashid led England’s bowling attack, securing three wickets, while Mark Wood took two. Reece Topley, Liam Livingstone, and Joe Root each claimed one wicket. Additionally, two Afghanistan batters were run out during the innings.
In the post-toss remarks, Jos Buttler mentioned that there was no specific reason for choosing to field first. He stated that it was a good batting surface, and England had retained an unchanged playing XI. Afghanistan’s captain Hashmatullah Shahidi had expressed a preference for bowling first during the toss.
Afghanistan Squad
1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi
England Squad
1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 Joe Root, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley
