In a shocking turn of events at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, Afghanistan defeated England by eight runs in a thrilling Champions Trophy 2025 encounter. The result leaves England staring at a potential group-stage exit, while Afghanistan keeps their semi-final hopes alive with a historic victory.
It was a must-win game for both sides. England, having lost their opener to Australia, were desperate for a victory. Afghanistan, also needing a win to stay in contention, produced a performance full of heart and skill.
Chasing a challenging target of 326, England were ultimately bowled out for 317. The hero for Afghanistan was Azmatullah Omarzai, who claimed a brilliant five-wicket haul (5 for 58), dismantling the English batting lineup.
Earlier, Afghanistan's innings had been a story of recovery. Despite losing three early wickets in the powerplay, Ibrahim Zadran played a magnificent innings, anchoring the batting with a superb knock (the exact score isn't provided in the brief, but it was clearly a significant contribution). His performance at Gaddafi Stadium was instrumental.
Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (40), Azmatullah Omarzai (41), and Mohammad Nabi (40) all played valuable supporting roles, providing crucial cameos that helped Zadran push Afghanistan's total past 300. This proved to be a match-winning total.
England's batting, despite the high-scoring nature of the match, ultimately faltered under pressure. While several players got starts, they couldn't convert them into the big innings needed to chase down such a target. Omarzai's bowling, combined with disciplined fielding, proved too much for the defending champions.
