Afghanistan (325/7) defeat England (317) by 8 runs in a thriller to keep their hunt for semi-finals spot alive in ICC Champions Trophy 2025

[Mas-LFC]

yessssss!!! Shabash Afghanistan! congratulations. What a win. Azmat a world class ALR

 

[sweep_shot]

Afghanistan now have to beat Australia to reach semi.

Can they do it? They have a good chance.

 

[Kianig89]

Congrats Afghanistan and all Afghan posters of the forum.

Fixed

 

[hafizexpress]

Azmat is MOM for sure. Ibrahim's 177 is top work but it was still very chasable on this pitch. Azmat changed everything with massive wickets of Butler and Root

 

[saimayubera]

Eng v SA more likely dead rubber, provided Australia will massacre AFG

Not so sure. If dew is not a factor or Afghanistan chase, they can win.

 

[Rajdeep]

I have a feeling India will face Afghanistan in semi finals.

@Devadwal

 

[BlindingLight]

Afghanistan superior to Pakistan

 

[Sensible_drive]

Younis Khan the legend batting coach of Afghanistan, the way Zadran batted was amazing, Good job sir..

 

[Markhor]

Congratulations Afghanistan. Not necessarily a team I support but the fearlessness, fight and Zadran's class is something you gotta admire.

England have much soul searching to do. Three ICC tournament failures in a row with the pool of players they have in white-ball cricket is unacceptable.

 

[Hellion]

I wish this match was played somewhere in front of a packed stadium and noisier crowd than this dead crowd.

What an absolute jaffa this match bro

Chennai crowd was much louder when Afghans smashed Pakistan in the 2023 World Cup. Beautiful crowd.

 

[batandballbattle]

What a cracker of a game and what a performance from azmat under pressure. Golden 5fa

 

[BDfanforever]

I have a feeling India will face Afghanistan in semi finals.

@Devadwal

Yes, and as usual they will play 50% of their capacity.

 

[Fazzy321]

Good win for Asia but bad for Pakistan as they are looking to be dominant top 2 with India in the next few years

 

[RidiculousMan]

In death overs

 

[pratiktc]

Nail in the coffin to Buttler's captaincy?

 

[batandballbattle]

Nail in the coffin to Buttler's captaincy?

Seems so. They might promote Brook/Duckett

 

[Bhaijaan]

I have a feeling India will face Afghanistan in semi finals.

@Devadwal

It will be our pleasure to play our brothers Bharatiyas.

We love Sanatanis

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Delhi and Lahore; two sister cities that have delivered arguably two of Afghanistan's greatest 50-over wins. Both against the country that once ruled these parts

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

Chalo atleast 1 muslim nation is reaching the semis.

 

[deltexas]

Nail in the coffin to Buttler's captaincy?

Yup. He's done as captain unfortunately fair or unfair. Probably duckett will be next captain or maybe brook

 

[sweep_shot]

So, Australia-Afghanistan is effectively a knockout game.

Whoever win qualify for semi. Losing team go home.

 

[shah9425]

Well played Afghanistan

Repeat of 2023 WC match result

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

So, Australia-Afghanistan is effectively a knockout game.

Whoever win qualify for semi. Losing team go home.

Time for Afghans to take revenge of 2023 wc when maxwell stole a win from them

 

[batandballbattle]

Overton wicket was the turning point. England were cruising up until then.

 

[BDfanforever]

Afghanistan can potentially top the group now.

 

[ChennaiFan]

Delhi and Lahore; two sister cities that have delivered arguably two of Afghanistan's greatest 50-over wins. Both against the country that once ruled these parts

I salute Afghanistan for winning these matches!

 

[sweep_shot]

Time for Afghans to take revenge of 2023 wc when maxwell stole a win from them

I think Afghans already took revenge in 2024 World T20. They knocked out Australia and reached semi.

But, yeah. Another opportunity for the Afghans to beat Australia.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

The Lions of Asia

 

[ChennaiFan]

Let us hope Bangladesh shows similar intent and beat Pakistan tomorrow.

 

[Devadwal]

yessssss!!! Shabash Afghanistan! congratulations. What a win. Azmat a world class ALR

Ale ale you was the same person who criticized Afghanistan adter 1st match lose against South Africa .

You saud " Afghanistan wilon in India because BCCI provided them spin friendly pitches .

Now what they have won on a road under dew.

Talk nah

Afghanistan>>>>>>>> Pakistan and Bangladesh.

 

[Bhaijaan]

England are Afghanistan’s bunny in ICC tournaments

 

[DeadlyVenom]

It was @DeadlyVenom bhai

No idea who you meant but will take it as a compliment....i think

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Ale ale you was the same person who criticized Afghanistan adter 1st match lose against South Africa .

You saud " Afghanistan wilon in India because BCCI provided them spin friendly pitches .

Now what they have won on a road under dew.

Talk nah

Afghanistan>>>>>>>> Pakistan and Bangladesh.

yeah they are better than us.

 

[sweep_shot]

England's 2 games have shown their bowling department is pretty under-par currently. Batters have done their jobs.

 

[Devadwal]

The good thing about this Afghanistan win is that it will further humiliate Pakistan & Bangladesh and their fans

Lovely

 

[mango_bite77]

Let us hope Bangladesh shows similar intent and beat Pakistan tomorrow.

Hope they give proper smashing to Pak trundlers

 

[dravidthewall]

Let us hope Bangladesh shows similar intent and beat Pakistan tomorrow.

Don't compare bangladesh with afghanistan... afghanistan are way better

 

[sweep_shot]

This English defeat is good for South Africa. It means South Africa have now practically qualified for semi.

 

[Mas-LFC]

Ale ale you was the same person who criticized Afghanistan adter 1st match lose against South Africa .

You saud " Afghanistan wilon in India because BCCI provided them spin friendly pitches .

Now what they have won on a road under dew.

Talk nah

Afghanistan>>>>>>>> Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Nope. You got the wrong person. I didn’t say they won in India because they had spinning wicket. Yes I give constructive criticism where needed. Am a well wisher of Afghanistan cricket, a brotherly muslim nation - Marhabah!

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I would say Pakistan is playing like Bangladesh, Afghanistan in such short period of time has improved drastically.

My point was that the roles have been reversed. Afghanistan were a pretty bad team until a few years ago. But they have improved remarkably quickly.

 

[sweep_shot]

This English defeat is good for South Africa. It means South Africa have now practically qualified for semi.

Also, washout of AUS-SA game means Afghanistan don't have to worry about NRR anymore. Just a win would be enough.

 

[Devadwal]

This English defeat is good for South Africa. It means South Africa have now qualified for the semi (officially).

No. england can win against South Africa with huge margin and if Afghanistan - Australia match can washout.

Australia - 4
Africa -3
Afghanistan -3

NRR will matter in this scenario so Africa is still not qualified for Semi.

 

[BDfanforever]

My point was that the roles have been reversed. Afghanistan were a pretty bad team until a few years ago. But they have improved remarkably quickly.

They have improved remarkablly in ODIs, they are still far behind in Test Cricket.

 

[ChennaiFan]

Don't compare bangladesh with afghanistan... afghanistan are way better

Bangladesh did show good intent when bowling to India the other day. Yes, their batting wasn't good.
I want to see how Taskin and Nahid bowl to the Pakistani batters. I also hope the Bangladeshi top order sets up a good game against Shaheen and Naseem.

 

[Savak]

Afghanistan's bowling attack is superior to Pakistan. They have the better spinners by a mile. Their medium pacers can swing the new ball and even on a flat pitch, they have the discipline to utilize variations at the right time and bowl to their fields.

 

[Fanboy375]

Afghanistan can potentially top the group now.

Not unless SA win vs Eng which is more likely to happen

 

[Fanboy375]

Let us hope Bangladesh shows similar intent and beat Pakistan tomorrow.

Or maybe Babar has opportunity to score 100 and become BanBabar instead of ZimBabar

 

[Dr_Bassim]

If it was @heddie19 he would list Joe Roots knock as one of the best innings ever

Despite England losing the match.

 

[sweep_shot]

I have watched every single CT live since 1998 CT.

I think this Afghanistan-England game is one of the best games in CT's history. Definitely among top 5.

 

[ChennaiFan]

Or maybe Babar has opportunity to score 100 and become BanBabar instead of ZimBabar

Yes, there is that possibility. But his struggles against spin makes it a remote possibility.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I have watched every single CT live since 1998 CT.

I think this Afghanistan-England game is one of the best games in CT's history. Definitely among top 5.

Babar is currently incapable of playing a knock of this quality against this attack

 

[Asif321]

Mubarak . Get the Aussies down !

 

[Devadwal]

Pakistan out, Bangladesh out, England out.

1947 all over again.

@Rajdeep

 

[Rana]

Joe Root hardly ever plays for England in white ball and clearly is a better player than Babar

This is how this guy has been fooling the nation for years!

 

[Devadwal]

ODI is alive, England is dead, and Afghanistan is the big team now.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Ibrahim Zadran’s majestic 177 and pacer Azmatullah Omarzai’s five-wicket haul outshone Joe Root’s masterful century as Afghanistan secured a thrilling 8-run victory, knocking a lackluster England out of the Champions Trophy on Wednesday. Winless after two matches, England will now face South Africa in their final Group B encounter, while Afghanistan, with two points, must defeat Australia to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.

England’s chase got off to a rocky start, with early blows from the dismissals of Phil Salt and Jamie Smith leaving them at 30 for two. They eventually fell short, bowled out for 317 with just one ball to spare, as Omarzai (5/58) delivered crucial breakthroughs.

Root (120 off 111, 11x4, 1x6) steadied England’s innings through two crucial stands—adding 68 runs for the third wicket with Ben Duckett (38), who had an early reprieve on 29, and then 83 runs with captain Jos Buttler for the fifth wicket. While these partnerships weren’t explosive, they kept England in touch with the required run rate.

However, the dismissals of Duckett and Buttler curtailed England’s progress, leaving Root to anchor the innings alone. His knock was a masterclass in controlled aggression, maintaining a strike rate close to 100 without taking undue risks. Signature strokes, like a reverse-swept boundary off Noor Ahmad and a scooped six off Fazalhaq Farooqi, highlighted his brilliance. He reached his 17th ODI century with a single off Rashid Khan but fell soon after, attempting a ramp shot against Omarzai, caught by keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Jamie Overton (32 off 28) fought on, adding a valuable 54 runs for the seventh wicket, but his dismissal—caught while attempting a heave off Omarzai—marked the final blow for England, sealing their exit from the tournament.

Earlier, Zadran’s breathtaking 177 off 146 propelled Afghanistan to an imposing total of 325 for seven. His "daddy hundred" featured 12 fours and six sixes, supported by key contributions from captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (40 off 67), with whom he forged a 103-run stand for the fourth wicket, and Omarzai (41 off 31), who added 72 for the fifth wicket.

Later, a blistering 111-run partnership with Mohammad Nabi (40 off 24) put England under immense pressure. But Afghanistan’s start was far from ideal after electing to bat first, as Jofra Archer (3/64) wreaked havoc in the powerplay.

Archer’s pace and precision had Afghanistan reeling at 37 for three inside the first 10 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz dragged one onto his stumps, Sediquallah Atal fell leg-before, and Rahmat Shah misfired a pull straight to Adil Rashid at square leg.

Zadran and Shahidi began the rebuild cautiously, with Zadran accelerating after reaching his fifty off 65 balls. A couple of boundaries off Jamie Overton signaled his shift in gears. Shahidi, however, fell attempting a reverse sweep against Adil Rashid, as the leg-spinner’s quicker delivery crashed into the stumps.

But with Omarzai at the other end, Zadran shifted into overdrive, punishing England’s attack. Mark Wood’s knee injury further hampered England, limiting him to just eight overs.

Zadran brought up his sixth ODI century in 106 balls before launching a brutal assault. He dismantled Overton with a sequence of 6, 4, 4 in an over, then tore into Archer with a blistering 6, 4, 4, 4 to bring up his second 150-plus score in ODIs.

His partnership with Nabi flourished at over 11 runs per over, capitalizing on England’s crumbling bowling attack in the death overs. The final 10 overs yielded a staggering 113 runs as Afghanistan finished with a flourish. Zadran eventually perished to Liam Livingstone in the last over, but by then, the damage was done, setting up Afghanistan’s historic triumph.

 

[Devadwal]

In 9 out of 10 times, this score is chaseable in these conditions, but again, you need a team like England to lose a match like this. Afghanistan played well, but they still need to handle pressure, you won't get a team like England every time.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Let us hope Bangladesh shows similar intent and beat Pakistan tomorrow.

Pakistan will play at 50% intensity again bangers and will still beat them

 

[saimayubera]

Pakistan will play at 50% intensity again bangers and will still beat them

i wont be so sure. they lost a test series.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Most overrated England.

Done and dusted from the tournament.

 

[jnaveen1980]

i wont be so sure. they lost a test series.

In ODIs Haris will bully them

 

[sweep_shot]

Mubarak . Get the Aussies down !

Even though I am a big Aussie fan, I don't mind Afghans beating them. Would be really good for their cricket if they can pull it off.

May the better team win.

 

[Aami]

Well done Afghans ...

 

[BDfanforever]

In ODIs Haris will bully them

Haris might not play it will be Hasnain but yeah even he can bully our tuk tuk players.

 

[Devadwal]

Duckett forgot England need to qualify to play in knockouts.

 

[JaDed]

Pakistan will play at 50% intensity again bangers and will still beat them

That’s true..PCT is too good for BD

 

[BDfanforever]

Clown forgot England need to qualify to play in knockouts.


View attachment 151377

Yes, and Eng, Aus, NZ are perfectly capable of doing that. They can lose 5-0 bilateral series, but still go onto win tournaments matches against same opposition.

 

[sweep_shot]

Yes, and Eng, Aus, NZ are perfectly capable of doing that. They can lose 5-0 bilateral series, but still go onto win tournaments matches against same opposition.

They don't give high importance to bilaterals. For them, it is all about ICC events and Test series. They use bilaterals to test out bench strengths or rotate players.

 

[Bhaijaan]

No idea who you meant but will take it as a compliment....i think

 

[Bhaijaan]

Ngl bro this was bit cocky

https://twitter.com/x/status/1894801439752638794

 

[JaDed]

View attachment 151378

This uncle is about to become a meme.. already social media is on it lol

 

[Bhaijaan]

This uncle is about to become a meme.. already social media is on it lol

This might have given birth to the Dola derby

 

[DeadlyVenom]

View attachment 151378

Sadly probably match uncles physique

 

[sweep_shot]

Pakistan will play at 50% intensity again bangers and will still beat them

Is this supposed to be an insult? We Bangladeshis are not petty like Indians that we would be insulted by this.

Whether they give 0%, 10%, 50%, or 100%, I hope it will be a good game.

 

[JaDed]

Is this supposed to be an insult? We Bangladeshis are not petty like Indians that we would be insulted by this.

Whether they give 0%, 10%, 50%, or 100%, I hope it will be a good game.

It’s not an insult it’s just the truth.. PCT has to play at 10% for it to be a good game if not its one sided.

 

[Hellion]

Is this supposed to be an insult? We Bangladeshis are not petty like Indians that we would be insulted by this.

Whether they give 0%, 10%, 50%, or 100%, I hope it will be a good game.

It's not an insult. It's the truth. Bangladesh don't play with the same intent against Pakistan. They always look scared and in awe of Pakistanis .

It's going to be a beating.

 

[BDfanforever]

Is this supposed to be an insult? We Bangladeshis are not petty like Indians that we would be insulted by this.

Whether they give 0%, 10%, 50%, or 100%, I hope it will be a good game.

Even if it's an insult what exactly are you gonna do about it lol? BCB and their cronies deserves this humiliation.

 

[BDfanforever]

It's not an insult. It's the truth. Bangladesh don't play with the same intent against Pakistan. They always look scared and in awe of Pakistanis .

It's going to be a beating.

Ind, Pakistan believes they can never loose against BD after 2007. We did finally get the upper hand on SRL though after their legends retire.

Afghanistan will also soon think they can never ever lose against BD.

 

[Lion of Khyber]

That's not even their flag.

Blac, red and

No Taliban replaced it.

The national flag of Afghanistan is black, red, and green .

That’s why you often see ordinary Afghans waving it proudly, and many Afghan cricket players have it printed on their gloves.

The Taliban, on the other hand, use a white flag. Having seized power by force and terror, they do not allow the use of the national flag within the country. But for 80-90% of Afghans it’s not acceptable.

 

[saimayubera]

Ind, Pakistan believes they can never loose against BD after 2007. We did finally get the upper hand on SRL though after their legends retire.

Afghanistan will also soon think they can never ever lose against BD.

but bd has defeated pak in important matches a lot.

ac 16, ac 18. test series 24.

these are imp matches.

india they haven't post 07wc although have won a few bilaterals but never in tournaments/tests (although have come close)