England premier pacer Jofra Archer ran riot with the ball against Afghanistan on Wednesday in the eight match of the Champions Trophy 2025. Archer dismissed Afghanistan’s three batters early on in the innings, giving England an early edge in the clash.
This is a must-win encounter for both the teams. While England were beaten by Australia in a high-scoring affair at Lahore, Afghanistan lost in a one-sided contest when they faced South Africa at Karachi.
Jofra Archer Rattles Afghanistan With Early Blows
Afghanistan had won the toss and opted to bat first. Although there was not much help for the bowlers, Archer made use of his variations and regularly changed his length to keep the Afghan batters at bay.
Also read: CT 2025: Jofra Archer's triple strike puts England in the commanding seat against Afghanistan
The speedster picked his first wicket in the form of Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the fifth over. Archer bowled full and invited Gurbaz for a drive. The swashbuckling batter saw the stumps getting shattered as an inside edge brought an end to his innings.
Archer again bowled at a full-ish length to Sediqullah Atal in the same over. The southpaw tried to flick the ball but ended up missing it. He got trapped in front of the wickets and was adjudged LBW.
In the ninth over, the fast-bowler pitched the ball short to Rahmat Shah, who went for the hook shot only to find the top edge as a catch got taken at the fine-leg region. England got reduced to 37/3 in 8.5 overs.
After Archer’s fiery new-ball spell, Afghanistan have consolidated well. Ibrahim Zadran and Hashmatullah Shahid have stitched a century-plus stand for the fourth wicket.
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