Afghanistan pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup after they beat defending champions England by 69 runs in Delhi on Sunday. Afghanistan thus registered their first win over England in One-Day Internationals. Flamboyant opening batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit a blistering 80 as Afghanistan, buoyed by some lusty late hitting, made 284 batting first. In reply, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman bagged three wickets a to help Afghanistan roll over England on a total of 215.
While this was Afghanistan’s first win in the ongoing tournament after two losses, England slumped to their second defeat from three games.
Rashid Khan (3/37) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (3/51) were the pick of the Afghan bowlers.
Harry Brook (66 off 61) was the only shining light in what was a dismal batting display from England.
Credit should also go to former England batter Jonathan Trott, who is the present Afghanistan coach, for having played a key role in the team’s rise.
England did not have the best of starts to their chase with Fazalhaq Farooqi inflicting an early blow in the form of Jonny Bairstow, who was caught plumb in front of the wicket in the second over.
Farooqi generated pace and troubled the English batters in the beginning.
The Kotla pitch also had something for the spinners as the ball kept low and turned under lights.
The in-form Joe Root, who had scored back-to-back fifties, was done in by a Mujeeb delivery that kept low and crashed onto the stumps.
