In one of the most riveting moments of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 edition in India, the spin-heavy Afghanistan side defeated the defending champions England at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi by a big margin of 69 runs!
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| Image Credits: ESPN Cricinfo |
Afghanistan got off to a rollicking start after being sent into bat first with openers adding 114 runs for the first wicket in just 16.4 overs, and the stand was broken by the departure of Ibrahim Zadran on 28! Opener Rahmunullah Gurbaz did most of the scoring in that stand, scoring 80 runs off just 57 deliveries before getting dismissed.
Ikram Alikhil scored his half-century (58 off 66), making a crucial contribution in the second half of their innings. Rashid Khan (23 off 22) and Mujeeb ur Rahman (28 off 16) scored at a brisk rate as they finished with a competitive total of 284 runs in 49.5 overs.
During the run chase, England kept on losing wickets which gave Afghanistan the upper hand. The scorecard was reading 117/5 in the 21st over and with only Harry Brook, their proper batter left at the crease, things were looking scary for them! Brook made a valiant knock of 66 runs off balls but it wasn't enough in the end.
England was eventually bowled out for 215 runs conceding a memorable 69-run victory for Afghanistan in this World Cup edition! Rashid Khan (3/37) and Mujeeb ur Rahman (3/51) led the Afghan attack with the ball. Incidentally, Mujeeb bagged the Player of the Match award for his all-round show in this memorable victory.
Brief Scores: Afghanistan - 284 all out in 49.5 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz - 80, Ikram Alikhil - 58, Adil Rashid - 3/42) defeated England - 215 all out in 40.3 overs (Harry Brook - 66, Rashid Khan - 3/37, Mujeeb Ur Rahman - 3/51) by a margin of 69 runs
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