Ibrahim Zadran’s stunning 177 and Azmatullah Omarzai’s five wickets led Afghanistan to a thrilling 8-run victory over England in the Champions Trophy, knocking the latter out of the tournament. England, winless after two matches, struggled in their chase, finishing at 317 all out despite Joe Root’s determined 120 runs. Zadran’s innings included powerful partnerships, helping Afghanistan post 325 for seven. England’s chase faltered early, and despite a later resurgence, they couldn’t clinch the win. Afghanistan now needs to defeat Australia in their final group match to keep hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive.
Ibrahim Zadran’s impressive 177 and Azmatullah Omarzai’s five-wicket haul overshadowed Joe Root’s brilliant century, leading Afghanistan to a nail-biting 8-run victory that eliminated a lackluster England from the Champions Trophy on Wednesday. England remains winless after two matches, and in their final league match in Group B, they will face South Africa, who currently have three points, along with Australia. Afghanistan now sits with two points and must defeat the Aussies in their concluding group match to keep their hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals alive. For a significant portion of the chase, England’s innings meandered as the early dismissals of Phil Salt and Jamie Smith set them back. They were at 30 for two before being bowled out for 317 with a ball remaining, with Omarzai (5/58) making critical breakthroughs at key moments.
Root (120, 111b, 11×4, 1×6) steadied England’s innings by forming two partnerships, putting together 68 runs with Ben Duckett (38), who was dropped on 29, for the third wicket and then an 83-run collaboration with skipper Jos Buttler for the fifth wicket.
Although these partnerships weren’t explosive, they helped keep England in the chase, ensuring they stayed close to the required run rate.
However, the untimely dismissals of Duckett and Buttler disrupted those growing partnerships, leaving Root to bear the weight of the innings alone.
Root’s innings was marked by clever shot selection; he rarely went after the ball aggressively yet maintained a strike rate approaching 100, sometimes exceeding it.
He added some exquisite touches typical of a Root innings, including a reverse sweep for four off wrist spinner Noor Ahmad and a scooped six behind the wicketkeeper off Fazalhaq Farooqi.
He reached his 17th ODI century with a single off Rashid Khan, aiming to continue his innings. However, a fatigued ramp shot off Omarzai ended in the hands of keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
England also had Jamie Overton (32, 28b) as a willing contributor, adding a crucial 54 runs for the seventh wicket before falling to Omarzai’s delivery.
This also marked the conclusion of England’s campaign in this tournament.
Earlier, Zadran’s outstanding innings propelled Afghanistan to a total of 325 for seven.
Zadran, whose brilliant century came off 146 balls (12×4, 6×6), received solid support from skipper Hashmathullah Shahidi (40, 67b, 3×4), with whom he built a 103-run partnership for the fourth wicket, and Azmatullah Omarzai (41, 31b) as they added 72 runs for the fifth wicket.
Later, he amassed 111 runs for the sixth wicket alongside Mohammed Nabi (40, 24b), putting England under immense pressure.
However, Afghanistan’s start in this crucial match was far from ideal after they opted to bat first. Jofra Archer’s (3/64) pace and precision put them in serious trouble within the first 10 overs on an excellent batting surface.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz was bowled by an Archer delivery while attempting a drive, Sediquallah Atal was given out LBW, and Rahmat Shah fell to a catch at square leg off Adil Rashid, leaving Afghanistan at 37 for three during the Power Play.
Zadran began the rescue mission alongside Shahidi, adopting a cautious approach initially.
However, once he reached 50 runs off 65 balls, Zadran shifted gears and pummeled Jamie Overton for a couple of boundaries to signal the aggressive approach.
Shahidi was soon dismissed attempting a reverse sweep against leg-spinner Rashid, whose delivery crashed into the stumps.
Yet Zadran thrived alongside Omarzai as England felt the intensity of their combined efforts.
England also had to cope with a knee injury to pacer Mark Wood, who bowled only eight overs after spending time off the field during Afghanistan’s innings.
Zadran, who reached his sixth ODI century off 106 balls, then accelerated by smashing Overton for 6, 4, 4 in one over.
The exit of Omarzai did not slow the 23-year-old down, as he clobbered Archer for 6, 4, 4, 4 to bring up 150 runs for the second time in his career.
Together with veteran batter Nabi, Zadran scored quickly for the sixth wicket at over 11 runs an over as England crumbled dramatically in the final 10 overs, conceding 113 runs. Zadran eventually fell to Liam Livingstone in the last over.
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