ODI World Cup 2023

‘Lagan to Afghanistan ne wasoola hai’ – Fans react as Afghanistan thrashes defending champions England by 69 runs in CWC 2023

In a big upset, Afghanistan beat defending champions England by 69 runs in the 13th match of the ODI World Cup 2023. After a dominant batting performance, Afghani spinners outplayed the experienced […]

Oct 15, 2023 10:18 pm

Earlier, after winning the toss, England skipper Jos Buttler opted to bowl first. His decision didn’t go well with the team, as the Afghani opening pair added 100+ runs for the first wicket. Wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran added 114 runs for the first wicket in just 12.4 overs.

Zadran, in his innings, scored 28 runs off 48 balls with the help of three boundaries. On the other hand, Gurbaz, in his innings, scored 80 runs off 57 balls with the help of eight fours and four sixes. However, in the middle overs, Afghanistan lost the plot and soon went six down for just 190. The game was looking out of their hands before the tailenders started bashing English bowlers.

Wicketkeeper-batter Ikram Alikhil’s half-century helped them cross the 200-run mark, while quick cameos from Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman and Rashid Khan propelled Afghanistan to a comfortable total of 284/10 in 49.5 overs. For England, spinner Adil Rashid took three wickets, while pacer Mark Wood got two wickets.

England failed to hold nerves against Afghan spinners

Chasing a tricky total at a spin-friendly wicket, English batters failed to hold nerves. Pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi drew first blood in just the second over of the run chase. He dismissed in-form batter Jonny Bairstow for just two runs. After his departure, Joe Root, along with Dawid Malan, tried to rescue England. However, they fell prey to the spin duo of Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman.

Root, in his innings, scored 11 runs off 17 balls, while Malan scored 32 runs off 39 balls with the help of four boundaries. After their departure, English batters didn’t look comfortable and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. However, young batter Harry Brook tried to rescue his team. Brook, in his fighting innings, scored 66 runs off 61 balls with the help of seven fours and a six.

In the end, Afghanistan restricted England to just 215/10 in just 40.3 overs. For Afghanistan, spinner Rashid Khan clinched three wickets, while Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman took two wickets. This is Afghanistan’s second win in the history of the ODI World and the first after eight years. Lastly, they beat Scotland in 2015 in Australia.

Here’s how fans reacted:

Youngsters of Afghanistan are full of potential. They have the ability to be a bigger team than Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in South Asia.

— Baatein (@TeriMeriBaatein) October 15, 2023

And the crowd unanimously supported Afghan’s today, well done 🇦🇫

— Rahul Varma (@urscoolrahul) October 15, 2023

https://twitter.com/Guri_Pbks/status/1713586338124251233?t=wOQsDSoCzArTdczh2AyKqg&s=19

Delhi crowd werr cheering for Naveen .

The impact of Virat Kohli 🔥🫡 pic.twitter.com/I1r24K63ol

— Sohel. (@SohelVkf) October 15, 2023

Congratulations Afghanistan for a stunning victory over one of favorite of this world cup. Afghanistan played better cricket than England today and they won.
I expecting more positive cricket from Afghanistan and you will see miracles this year. Mujeeb Ur Rahman looking better…

— Satya Prakash (@Satya_Prakash08) October 15, 2023