Afghanistan put yet another historic victory to their kitty on Wednesday. Led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan obliterated England, continuing their rise in white-ball cricket.
After opting to bat first, Shahidi and Co. were rocked early by England’s Jofra Archer, who took three wickets with the new ball. Ibrahim Zadran stabilised the innings initially and tore apart the English bowling attack in the final overs of the innings as his mammoth 177-run knock took Afghanistan to 325/7.
In reply, England too did not get to a good start, losing their two wickets early. However, like Zadran, Joe Root, after getting his eye in, saved England from a collapse and put them in the winning position.Â
England were 287/6 in 46th over with Root batting. The match hung in balance but Azmatullah Omarzai, who ended up bagging a fifer, dismissed Root, leading Afghanistan to a famous eight-run win.
Afghanistan’s Qualification Scenarios for Champions Trophy 2025
With the victory over England, Afghanistan stayed in contention to qualify for the semis of the Champions Trophy 2025. They eliminated England from the competition.
Afghanistan are currently having two points in their tally. For them to reach the semi-finals, the equation is very straightforward. They have a match scheduled against Australia on Friday. If Afghanistan are to qualify, they would have to beat Australia in Lahore.
Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Group B Qualification Scenarios After England's Exit
As for Australia, they also need a win. However, even if they lose, they can go through, provided England defeat South Africa by a huge margin and their Net Run Rate takes a hit. But this is almost impossible as South Africa are far ahead of Australia on NRR.
If the match between Afghanistan and Australia gets abandoned due to rain, Australia will make the semis, while Afghanistan will be knocked out.
