Friday Mar 28, 2025
Friday Mar 28, 2025
Thursday, 27 February 2025 09:42 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Azmatullah Omarzai seized a five-wicket haul as Afghanistan landed a knockout blow to England with an eight-run win in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
In the penultimate over, Fazalhaq Farooqi had claimed Jofra Archer to make it 13 runs required for England with just one wicket in hand.
Omarzai, who had removed Joe Root and Craig Overton as the game went down to the wire, saw the game through by claiming Adil Rashid in the final over.
Root scored his first ODI century since 2019 to keep England in hunt of a mammoth total, bringing to an end a long wait for a hundred in the 50-overs game.
The England batting talisman’s resolute innings came against wickets falling at regular intervals at the other end as he held the fort from one end and took the attack to the Afghan bowlers.
Compiling 120 off 111 deliveries, Root laced his innings with 11 fours and a six, playing the anchor for England.
Just before Root hit the triple figure mark, Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib had removed Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone inside three overs to put Afghanistan in the driving seat.
Defending the mammoth total of 326, Afghanistan were off to a steamy start with the all-round duo of Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi striking in the powerplay.
Banging one in on good length, Omarzai skidded one through Phil Salt to hit the timber. Mohammad Nabi also got the better of Jamie Smith off the first ball of his spell to make it two wickets for Afghanistan.
Root then combined alongside Ben Duckett to add 68 runs for the third wicket but just as the pair seemed to be putting together a game-changing partnership, Rashid Khan struck with the ball.
The leg-spinner trapped Duckett leg before wicket to disrupt England’s flow with the bat. Nabi then made it a brace for himself as he caught Harry Brook off his own bowling in the 22nd over of the England innings.
