Champions Trophy Shocker: Afghanistan Stuns England in a Thrilling Encounter

Afghanistan pulled off a major upset in the ICC Champions Trophy by defeating England in a nail-biting match held at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.

Batting first after winning the toss, Afghanistan set a formidable target of 326 runs, scoring 325/7 in their allotted 50 overs. The star of the innings was Ibrahim Zadran, who played a historic knock of 177 runs off 146 balls, smashing 12 fours and 6 sixes. He was well-supported by Azmatullah Omarzai (41 runs) and Mohammad Nabi (40 runs) in building a competitive total.

In response, England fought valiantly, but despite Joe Root’s brilliant century, they fell just short, getting bowled out for 317 runs in the final over. Ben Duckett and Jos Buttler contributed 38 runs each, but their efforts were not enough to secure a victory.

For Afghanistan, Azmatullah Omarzai led the bowling attack with five wickets, while Mohammad Nabi took two key wickets, playing a crucial role in their team’s historic win.

England’s bowling attack was led by Jofra Archer (3 wickets), Liam Livingstone (2 wickets), and Adil Rashid (1 wicket), but they failed to contain Afghanistan’s aggressive batting lineup.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Siddiqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

England: Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jos Buttler (c), Jamie Overton, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid .

This victory marks a historic moment for Afghanistan, proving their growing stature in international cricket and shaking up the Champions Trophy standings.