In a remarkable turn of events at the World Cup on Sunday, Afghanistan secured a stunning 69-run victory over defending champions England, marking only their second win in the tournament and lifting them from the bottom of the group standings. The Afghan team had previously faced a string of defeats, with their sole World Cup victory against Scotland back in 2015.
Batting first, Afghanistan set a target of 284, led by a dynamic 80-run performance from opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz and a half-century by Ikram Alikhil. England’s response saw them crumbling to 215 all-out, with Harry Brook being the standout performer, scoring 66 runs amidst the challenging conditions.
The spin duo of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan played pivotal roles, each claiming three wickets. Mujeeb’s key dismissals of Joe Root and Brook were instrumental in setting up the historic win, earning him the player of the match award. Mujeeb expressed his elation, saying, “Very proud moment to be here in the World Cup and beating the champions, it’s a great achievement for the whole region.”
Rashid Khan, too, shared his hopes that the victory would bring joy to the people of Afghanistan, who were dealing with multiple earthquakes causing devastation.
Afghanistan’s innings began with a flying start, thanks to a 114-run opening partnership between Gurbaz and Zadran, scoring at an impressive eight runs per over in the powerplay. However, wickets fell as Adil Rashid’s leg-spin prowess claimed Zadran and had Rahmat Shah stumped.
Gurbaz, aiming for a century, was unfortunately run out by skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, leading to his frustration. Alikhil and Rashid Khan tried to stabilize with a 43-run partnership, but Rashid Khan’s departure marked the beginning of the end.
In England’s innings, early wickets fell to Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb, including a crucial dismissal of Joe Root. Despite a patient 32 from Dawid Malan, England found themselves in trouble at 91/4. Harry Brook provided resistance with his confident half-century but was caught behind, leading to wild celebrations for Afghanistan as Rashid Khan cleaned up the tail.
England captain Jos Buttler acknowledged the defeat, saying, “Disappointing, a tough loss to take. Congratulations to Afghanistan, they outplayed us today.” England now occupies the fifth spot in the group standings, having won one of their three matches, one position ahead of Afghanistan.
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