Zadran 177, Omarzai fifer lead Afghanistan to 8-run win, Eng
Zadran 177, Omarzai fifer lead Afghanistan to 8-run win, England knocked out of Champions Trophy
Ibrahim Zadran's majestic 177 and pacer Azmatullah Omarzai's fifer trumped Joe Root's masterful hundred, as the brave Afghanistan registered a thrilling 8-run win to knock a largely-insipid England out of the Champions Trophy here on Wednesday.
Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran plays a shot during the ICC
Champions Trophy cricket match between Afghanistan and England in Lahore,
Pakistan on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
LAHORE — Ibrahim
Zadran's majestic 177 and pacer Azmatullah Omarzai's fifer trumped Joe Root's
masterful hundred, as the brave Afghanistan registered a thrilling 8-run win to
knock a largely-insipid England out of the Champions Trophy here on Wednesday.
England are winless after two matches and in their last
league match in Group B they will face South Africa, who already have three
points along with Australia.
Afghanistan now have two points and will have to beat the
Aussies in their final group match to entertain the hopes of reaching the last
eight.
For a long time, England's chase merely rattled along as the
dismissal of Phil Salt and Jamie Smith jolted them early. They were 30 for two
then, and eventually ended up at 317 all out with a ball to spare as pacer
Omarzai (5/58) struck at crucial junctures.
But Root (120, 111b, 11x4, 1x6) brought stability to
England's innings through two alliances, adding 68 runs with Ben Duckett (38),
who was dropped on 29, for the third wicket and then an 83-run stand with
skipper Jos Buttler for the fifth wicket.
They were not really blazing partnerships but kept England
afloat, keeping them in the vicinity of the asking rate.
But the jettisoning of Duckett and Buttler prematurely
curtailed those blossoming joint ventures, as Root had to shoulder the burden
all by himself.
Root's was a clever innings, as he hardly hit any ball in
anger but still managed a strike-rate close to 100, and at times above 100.
But there those little flourishes which are so central to a
Root innings such as a reverse sweep four off wrist spinner Noor Ahmad or a
scooped six behind wicketkeeper off Fazalhaq Farooqi.
He brought up his 17th ODI hundred with a single off Rashid
Khan, and looked to stay on. But a rather tired ramp off pacer Omarzai ended in
the gloves of keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
But England had another willing soldier in Jamie Overton
(32, 28b), who added precious 54 runs for the seventh wicket, but a feeble
heave off Omarzai ended his stint.
It also marked the end of England's journey in this
tournament.
Earlier, Zadran's remarkable innings helped Afghanistan pile
325 for seven.
Zadran, whose daddy hundred came off 146 balls (12x4, 6x6),
had solid support from skipper Hashmathullah Shahidi (40, 67b, 3x4), with whom
he raised 103 runs for the fourth wicket, and Azmatullah Omarzai (41, 31b) with
whom he milked 72 runs for the fifth wicket.
Later, he plundered 111 runs for the sixth wicket with
Mohammed Nabi (40, 24b) to put England through the wringer.
But Afghanistan's start to a must-win game was way off the
mark after they elected to bat first. Jofra Archer's (3/64) pace and accuracy
put them under considerable strife inside the first 10 overs on an absolute
batting beauty.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz dragged an Archer delivery back onto his
stumps while attempting a drive, Sediquallah Atal was trapped in front and
Rahmat Shah pulled one straight to Adil Rashid at square leg as the Afghans
slumped to 37 for three inside the Power Play.
Zadran began the repair work in the company of Shahidi and
they were understandably circumspect.
But once he reached 50 off 65 balls, Zadran opened up more
and smoked Jamie Overton for a couple of fours to signal the shifting of gears.
However, Shahidi was dismissed when he tried to reverse
sweep leg-spinner Rashid, whose front-of-the-arm delivery crashed onto the
stumps.
But Zadran flourished in the company of Omarzai as England
felt the heat of double-barrel firing.
England also had to deal with a knee injury to pacer Mark
Wood, as he bowled only eight overs even after spending some time away from the
field during the Afghan innings.
Zadran, who brought up his sixth ODI hundred off 106 balls,
soon slipped into overdrive, smashing Overton for 6, 4, 4, in an over.
The departure of Omarzai did not slow down the 23-year-old
as he blasted Archer for 6, 4, 4, 4 to reach the 150-run mark for the second
time in his career.
Along with a veteran batter Nabi, Zadran added quick runs
for the sixth wicket at over 11 runs an over as England fell apart
spectacularly in the final 10 overs, conceding 113 runs. Zadran eventually fell
to Liam Livingstone in the final over.
