Jos Buttler-led England National Cricket Team went head-to-head with the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led Afghanistan National Cricket Team in the 8th match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Wednesday, February 26, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
England National Cricket Team faced a shocking 8-run loss at the hands of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team and got knocked out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Also Read: “From underdogs to giant slayers” – Afghanistan hailed as they eliminate England from CT 2025
Disappointing to be knocked out of the tournament early – Jos Buttler
Bowling first, England allowed Afghanistan to post 325/7 on the board, and while chasing the target, they were bowled out for 317 in 49.5 overs despite Joe Root’s ton.
Speaking after the match, Jos Buttler expressed his disappointment over England’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. He further lauded Joe Root for his unbelievable innings that went in vain. Jos Buttler elaborated:
“Disappointing to be knocked out of the tournament early. We had our chances in the game and we didn’t take them.
“Root played an unbelievable innings and we needed one of the top six batters to stay with him. The last 10 overs got away from us a bit. Credit to Ibrahim, he played a fantastic innings. 113 off the last 10 pushed them up to a very good score on that pitch.”
I think for myself and the guys at the top, we should consider all possibilities – Jos Buttler on his resignation
Jos Buttler further said that the injury to Mark Wood and Liam Livingstone made things tough for them with the ball, but credited the duo for giving their all on the field.
“Unfortunately in his 4th over he (Wood) felt his knee, credit to him for bowling through the pain and showing a lot of character. It was difficult (in the death overs with Wood injured and Root bowling the 47th over), Livi was also off the field but credit to him for coming back. He (Root) has been a brilliant player in all formats and showed us the way to handle the pressure. His ODI record is fantastic,” Jos Buttler said.
In the end, Micheel Atherton asked Jos Buttler about the reason behind his struggles and his future as skipper. Responding to this, Jos Buttler hinted that his resignation is on the cards.
“If I knew I wouldn’t be playing the way I am (referring to his bad form), being one of the best players in the world it is disappointing when you don’t perform. I don’t want to say any emotional statements right now, but I think for myself and the guys at the top, we should consider all possibilities,” Buttler said.
What Happened in the First-Ever ODI Between Afghanistan and England?
Afghanistan and England locked horns with each other for the first time in ODIs during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup in Sydney. The match was heavily affected by rain and saw a huge number of overs being deducted. England received a revised target of 101 runs under the DLS method, and they chased it down with 9 wickets in hand and 41 balls to spare.
Batting first, Afghanistan struggled against England’s bowling unit. They only managed to post 111/7 on the board in 36.2 overs before rain curtailed their innings.
Nasir Jamal (17 off 52), Mohammad Nabi (16 off 17 ) and Shafiqullah (30 off 64) were the only batters to show some resistance. For England, Chris Jordan (2/13) and Ravi Bopara (2/31) shined while Stuart Broad, James Anderson, and James Tredwell chipped in with a wicket each.
The chase, meanwhile, was made to look like a cakewalk by the English team, with Ian Bell playing the innings of unbeaten 52 off 56 balls. Alex Hales contributed 37 before falling to Hamid Hassan, Afghanistan’s only successful bowler, as England reached 101/1 in 18.1 overs.
