Afghanistan's Stunning Victory Over England in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

In a thrilling encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Afghanistan secured a historic win by defeating England by 69 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, earning them crucial tournament points.

Image Source -www.reuters.com

In a thrilling encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Afghanistan secured a historic win by defeating England by 69 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, earning them crucial tournament points.

The Afghan spin trio comprising Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rahid Khan, and Mohammad Nabi displayed exceptional skills, weaving a web that left the English batters struggling to chase down the target of 285 runs.

Afghanistan's innings was anchored by Ikram Alikhil, who scored a valuable 58 runs off 66 balls, including three fours and two sixes, rescuing his team from a middle-order collapse.

Jos Buttler, England's skipper, won the toss and elected to field, hoping to exploit the conditions. However, Afghanistan's openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, provided a solid foundation by putting up a wicketless opening partnership of 114 runs during the first powerplay.

The momentum began to shift in England's favor when Adil Rashid picked up two wickets in consecutive balls during the same spell, including the dismissal of set batter Gurbaz, who departed after an impressive 80 runs off 57 balls, featuring eight fours and four sixes.

Despite the mounting pressure and wickets falling regularly, Ikram Alikhil remained a pillar of stability in Afghanistan's innings. Alikhil formed crucial partnerships with Rashid Khan (43 runs off 22 balls) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (44 runs off 16 balls).

Also Read: Sangha Sisters Transform Nawanpind Sardaran Into India's Best Tourism Village 2023

In the 48th over, Alikhil was dismissed by Topley's clever back-of-the-hand delivery, but not before contributing significantly. At this stage, Afghanistan had reached a score of 277/8 with just two overs remaining. The tailenders added a few more runs to set a challenging total of 285 runs against the defending champions.

Afghanistan appeared to be on the verge of a low total, but Alikhil's resilient half-century turned the tide in their favor, ultimately leading them to their second-highest World Cup score.

The defending champions, England, struggled to cope with a pitch that offered low bounce and considerable assistance to Afghanistan's spinners, Mujeeb, Rashid, and Nabi, who wreaked havoc in the English batting lineup.