WC 2023 – Afghanistan Shocks Cricket World with a Huge Victory Over England

Varad Bhatkhande

New Delhi, 15th October 2023 – The Arun Jaitley stadium witnessed a cricketing spectacle today as Afghanistan achieved a stunning upset against one of the tournament favourites, England, in the 13th ODI of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. England, known for their cricketing prowess, were defeated by Afghanistan by a commanding 69-run margin in an electrifying showdown.

Winning the toss, England decided to field first and invited Afghanistan to bat. The Afghan openers set the stage for a competitive total, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz providing an explosive start, smashing 80 runs in just 57 balls before being run out by substitute fielder David Willey. Ibrahim Zadran, the second opener, contributed 28 runs off 48 balls before Joe Root caught him on an Adil Rashid delivery. Ikram Alikhil displayed his finesse with a composed 58 off 66 balls before Sam Curran caught him off Reece Topley’s delivery. Contributions from Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman helped Afghanistan post a respectable total of 284 runs, with all wickets falling in the 50th over.

In England’s bowling attack, Adil Rashid stood out, claiming three crucial wickets while conceding just 42 runs in his 10 overs. Mark Wood secured 2 wickets, and Liam Livingstone, Joe Root, and Reece Topley managed one wicket each.

England’s chase began with opener Jonny Bairstow struggling to find his form. Second opener Dawid Malan, the man in form, managed to score only 32 runs off 39 balls before Mohammad Nabi dismissed him with a catch taken by Ibrahim Zadran. Harry Brook attempted to put up a fight with a 66-run contribution from 61 balls before being caught by Ikram Alikhil off Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s delivery. Joe Root, Captain Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, and other lower-order batsmen made decent but insufficient contributions, as England was bowled out for 215 runs, losing the match by 69 runs.

In Afghanistan’s bowling department, Mujeeb Ur Rahman emerged as the star performer, taking three wickets while conceding only 51 runs in his 10 overs. Spin maestro Rashid Khan also excelled with 3 wickets, giving away only 37 runs in his 9 overs. Veteran Mohammad Nabi claimed 2 wickets, and Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq secured one wicket each.

Afghanistan’s remarkable victory marks one of the most significant upsets in the history of the World Cup and only their second win in ODI World Cups. With their remarkable talents, they are now emerging as dark horses in the tournament. In the upcoming 14th match of the World Cup, Australia will face Sri Lanka at Ekana Sports City, Lucknow, with the match scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM IST tomorrow.