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Afghanistan, known as the Underdog in this World Cup, made history! They have made the first UPSET of this ICC Men’s ODI World Cup today by defeating the defending champion England. Afghanistan have never won against England before today’s clash. They were in a 14-game losing streak. But what an evening they have made today! They just have defeated the World Champions by 69 runs and made history.
The triumph started with Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s aggressive batting, which was completed with Rashid and Mujib’s unplayable spins. Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s devastating 80 runs only from 57 balls helped the Afghans to post a total of 284 runs against the defending champions. Meanwhile, Mujib Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan destroyed England’s batting lineup by taking three wickets each.
Match Report
England’s skipper Josh Butler won the toss and opted to bowl first against Afghanistan. But the Afghans openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran proved Butler’s decision wrong by starting hitting boundaries from the very first over.
English pacers were struggling to bowl against Rahmanullah Gurbaz. However, Ibrahim Zadran was a bit slower than Gurbaz, yet they made a fantastic partnership of 114 runs. Adil Rashid broke their partnership, picking up Ibrahim Zadran in the 16.4 over.
Losing the first wicket, Afghanistan became shaky and unstable in the crease. They quickly lost three more wickets, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz remained aggressive against the English bowlers. Unfortunately, he returned to the pavilion after being run out. He scored a devastating 80 runs only from 57 balls.
After that, Ikram Alkhil made a huge contribution to the team. His responsible 58 runs helped the Afghans to post a total of 284 runs. However, Adil Rashid got three wickets for England, while Mark Wood got two.
The Afghans did a fantastic job with the ball to defend their score. They got an early wicket as Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up Jonny Bairstow in the 2nd over. But David Malan tried to build a partnership with Joe Root. However, they couldn’t go far more than adding 30 runs. Mujib Ur Rahman bowled out Joe Root in the 7th over.
David Malan also failed to stay long, going back to the pavilion after scoring 32 runs. After that, Mujib Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan started showing their skill and kept taking wickets continuously.
Only Harry Brook fought hard against them. He smashed a much-needed half-century today. But Mujib got the most important wickets of the match as he picked up Harry Brook in the 34.2 over. Brook scored the highest 66 off 61 before leaving the crease.
Unfortunately, the remaining batters of England couldn’t fight back after Brook’s departure. Due to Afghans’ high aggression, England became all-out in just 215, resulting in Afghanistan winning the game by 69 runs. This victory is one of the best moments in the Afghan’s history in Cricket.
It’s a great achievement – Mujib Ur Rahman
Afghan spinner Mujib Ur Rahman became the Player of the Match for taking three crucial wickets. He shared his thoughts after the match. “Very proud moment to be here in the World Cup and beating the champions. It’s a great achievement for the whole team, we worked hard for this day. We beat such a big team. It was a wonderful performance from the bowlers and the batters,” said Mujib Ur Rahman.
