INDIA: Afghanistan secured their first victory of the 2023 World Cup by defeating England by 69 runs in the national capital. The victory was one of the biggest upsets in ODI history, with Afghanistan’s second victory in the competition since 2015.
England’s title defence is in serious danger due to an unexpected setback, with Jos Buttler and company dropping two of their three games. After Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 80, England needed 285 runs to win but were bowled out for 215 runs, with spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan taking three wickets each.
Afghanistan, with a 14-game losing record, faced England after being defeated by India. Gurbaz and Ikram Alikhil contributed to a respectable total, while Afghanistan’s bowlers struck frequently. Joe Root was removed by Mujeeb, and Farooqi bagged Jonny Bairstow’s wicket.
Dawid Malan, who scored 140 against Bangladesh, was removed by Mohammad Nabi for 32, starting a decline that saw England drop to 138-6.
England’s captain, Jos Buttler, was bowled by Naveen-ul-Haq, while Liam Livingstone was taken away by Rashid Khan, and Sam Curran was removed by Nabi. England was pinned down for over eight overs without striking a boundary at one point before Harry Brook managed the team’s lone six of the innings in the 31st over.
England’s hopes in this chase ended with Chris Woakes being sent back, and Brook’s 66 runs from 61 balls, including seven fours and a six, were a significant part of the run-chase. Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, and Mark Wood contributed but could only take their team over the line, while Gurbaz registered his eighth fifty in ODI cricket for Afghanistan.
But when he got into a tragic run-out mix-up with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi in the 19th over, preventing him from going on to reach a sixth century, he was furious.
Afghanistan’s Gurbaz, unable to make his ground, was removed by Buttler after David Willey threw the ball. With a score of 122-3, Gurbaz slammed his bat into a chair. Afghanistan reached 100 runs without losing a wicket from 77 deliveries, taking just 33 balls for Gurbaz to reach his half-century.
England’s spinners, including Adil Rashid, brought the team back into the match after Gurbaz was out. Rashid broke Afghanistan’s opening stand of 114 runs, completing the match with figures 3-42. Alikhil contributed with a 58-run knock after surviving a 147 km/h delivery from Mark Wood.
Sam Curran and Chris Woakes could not find the rhythm early on, with Curran giving up 46 runs in four overs and Woakes giving up 41 runs in four overs.
England entered the match on Sunday having defeated Bangladesh and lost to New Zealand, while Afghanistan had suffered crushing losses to Bangladesh by six wickets and India by eight wickets.
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