In a remarkable turn of events, Afghanistan clinched a stunning 69-run victory against England, the defending champions, to mark their first ODI World Cup win since 2015. This defeat would have brought back traumatic memories to England supporters, of defeats to Ireland in 2011 and Bangladesh in 2015. It was after that 2015 defeat that England decided to reinvent their white-ball cricket, resulting in this era of success.
But at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday night, the result was seldom in doubt, especially once Mujeeb Ur Rahman, player of the match for his 3-51, castled Joe Root for just 11. Afghanistan had come close to upsetting the likes of India and Pakistan in previous editions. More recently, they gave Pakistan a run for their money but couldn’t seal the deal.
The game’s foundation was laid in the early stages with tremendous, but contrasting, half-centuries from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ikram Alikhil. This was complemented by a collective performance from the bowlers.
At the toss, Hashmatullah Shahidi, the captain, had said that anything above 300 would be competitive. While the team fell short of that target, the primary objective of winning the match was achieved.
Afghanistan’s openers, Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, capitalised on favorable batting conditions in Delhi, forging a partnership of 114 for the first wicket – Afghanistan’s highest opening stand at any World Cup. Gurbaz showcased aggressive batting, while Zadran played a supporting role. The first Powerplay concluded with Afghanistan at 79-0, their highest-ever Powerplay score in this marquee event. Although Reece Topley bowled tightly, the other bowlers struggled during this onslaught.
As England introduced spin, Afghanistan’s innings took a turn for the worse. Zadran was the first to depart, caught brilliantly by Root off Adil Rashid’s bowling in the 17th over. Rashid’s next over saw a dramatic shift, with skipper Jos Buttler executing a sharp stumping to dismiss Rahmat Shah. A miscommunication with Shahidi then led to the in-form Gurbaz getting run out for a brisk 80 off 57 deliveries.
Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored a fifty against India, tried to take on Liam Livingstone but was taken at long-off. The pitch provided some assistance to the spinners, and Buttler’s keen eye behind the wicket influenced his decision to bring in Root. Root delivered, removing Shahidi. Mohammad Nabi, on his 150th ODI appearance, fell cheaply as Mark Wood bounced him out, leaving Afghanistan in a precarious position at 190-6 in the 37th over.
Afghanistan’s decision to include Ikram Alikhil in the playing XI in place of Najibullah Zadran paid off as the left-hand batter held up one end, crafting an excellent half-century. Ikram and Rashid Khan (23 off 22) combined for a 43-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Later, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (28 off 16) contributed to a 44-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Ikram, guiding Afghanistan to a total of 284. Adil Rashid was England’s standout bowler with his best World Cup figures of 10-1-42-3.
England’s spinners collectively delivered 24 of the 49.5 overs, conceding 94 runs at an economy rate of 3.92 while capturing five wickets. This halfway statistic underscored the spin-friendly conditions and suggested that England might encounter challenges in their pursuit of the total against Afghanistan’s formidable spin trio.
England had a disastrous start as Jonny Bairstow was dismissed early in the second over. Root and Dawid Malan then combined for a 30-run partnership before Mujeeb outfoxed Root with a deceptive delivery. Sensing that Malan was more at ease against pace, Shahidi introduced the experienced Nabi, who promptly dismissed him. Buttler looked at ease against spin but struggled against Naveen-ul-Haq. Naveen, in the midst of a superb spell, bowled a big inswinger to remove Buttler. Rashid was bowling impressively, and it was only a matter of time before he claimed a wicket, which he did by dismissing Liam Livingstone. As a result, England found themselves in dire straits at 117-5.
While the majority of batters faced difficulties, Harry Brook appeared to be in a league of his own, seemingly batting on an entirely different surface. Sam Curran, in contrast, struggled to find boundaries and rotate the strike, and his challenge came to an end at the hands of Nabi. After a splendid initial spell, Mujeeb was reintroduced into the attack and once again had an immediate impact, this time removing Chris Woakes. Brook, who had struck some notes of defiance, was also outwitted by Mujeeb, extinguishing England’s hopes of securing victory. Rashid and Wood made a valiant effort to resist the inevitable, but it proved to be an insurmountable task.