Lahore: Ibrahim Zadran’s stunning 177 – the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history – propelled Afghanistan to a formidable 325/7 in 50 overs in their must-win Group B clash against England at the Gaddafi Stadium.
This is also the highest total for Afghanistan in ICC events. With the threat of elimination looming, England have a huge task ahead of them as the highest target ever chased against Afghanistan in an ODI is 314 by Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2022.
England made early inroads with Jofra Archer’s fiery new-ball spell, reducing Afghanistan to 37/3, but a crucial 103-run stand between Zadran and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi steadied the innings. Late cameos from Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi powered Afghanistan to a strong finish, as England’s attack struggled, conceding 113 runs in the final 10 overs.
After opting to bat first, Afghanistan’s top order showed resilience and endured early struggles but fought back to post a competitive total by the 40-over mark. England’s fast bowlers, particularly Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, set the tone early with fiery spells. Afghanistan’s openers made a watchful start, navigating through a testing powerplay where England applied relentless pressure.
Archer was the star of the opening overs, striking twice in quick succession. He first dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz (6), who inside-edged an inswinger onto his stumps, before trapping Sediqullah Atal (4) lbw in the same over. Rahmat Shah (4) soon followed, top-edging a pull shot to Adil Rashid, giving Archer his third wicket– enroute becoming the fastest England bowler to reach 50 in 30 matches surpassing James Anderson’s record of 31 matches.
At 37 for 3, Afghanistan were in deep trouble, but Ibrahim Zadran and Hashmatullah Shahidi spearheaded a recovery. The duo played cautiously at first, ensuring no further setbacks. Ibrahim reached his fifty off 65 balls, striking three fours and two sixes. Hashmatullah provided valuable support, and their partnership brought much-needed stability.
The turning point came in the 25th over when Afghanistan’s batters shifted gears. Jamie Overton’s reintroduction into the attack was met with aggression from Zadran, who dispatched him for a six and two fours in the space of an over. The 103-run partnership between Zadran and Hashmatullah was a crucial milestone, but England found a breakthrough soon after as Adil Rashid dismissed Hashmatullah for 40 with a well-disguised slider that rattled the stumps.
Mark Wood, who had earlier limped off with a knee issue, made a determined return in the 34th over. Though he looked slightly restricted in movement, his pace remained threatening, clocking over 140kph in a tidy comeback spell. Despite England’s efforts, Afghanistan continued their recovery, with Ibrahim bringing up his century off 106 balls—his sixth ODI hundred—anchoring the innings superbly.
Azmatullah Omarzai provided a crucial boost in the middle overs, striking a straight-driven six and accelerating the scoring rate. His partnership of 72 with Zadran helped Afghanistan cross 200 in the 37th over. However, his aggressive approach led to his downfall, as he miscued a slower ball from Overton to long-on, departing for 41.
Wood, already battling through visible discomfort, finally succumbed to knee injury after sending down his eighth over, leaving England even more depleted in their bowling resources. Moments later, Liam Livingstone, a crucial all-round option, hobbled off after tweaking his knee while fielding.
Ibrahim Zadran, in stellar form, continued his onslaught, collecting a trio of twos and reaching a magnificent 150, with plenty more to come. Ben Duckett’s tournament-best 165 against Australia was suddenly in danger of being eclipsed. Mohammad Nabi then launched Joe Root for back-to-back sixes over deep midwicket before a misfield from Duckett at point gifted Afghanistan four more runs. Root’s over ended with a commanding drive through the covers from Ibrahim Zadran, capping off a massive 23-run over.
Livingstone’s return to the field provided England with a much-needed boost, but Jos Buttler would not have expected him to bowl the final over of the innings. To his credit, Livingstone held his nerve, inducing a slog-sweep from Ibrahim Zadran that ended a breathtaking knock of 177 from 146 balls—Afghanistan’s highest individual ODI score. Mohammad Nabi followed soon after, holing out for a crucial 40 off 24 balls, as England wrapped up the innings with a semblance of control.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 325/7 in 50 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 177, Azmatullah Omarzai 41 ; Jofra Archer 3-64, Adil Rashid 1-60) against England
(IANS)
