The 8th match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 between the Afghanistan National Cricket Team and the England National Cricket Team was held on Wednesday, February 26.
Afghanistan National Cricket Team pulled off a massive upset as they beat the England National Cricket Team by 8 runs to knock them out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
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ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Afghanistan post 325/7 on the board
The Afghans won the toss and opted to bat first in the match at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. They lost three early wickets, but Ibrahim Zadran stabilized the innings with his sensational batting performance.
He didn’t let the fall of wickets affect his game and played cautiously in the first half of his innings, before accelerating and destroying the bowling unit of England.
Ibrahim Zadran completed his fifty off 65 balls, and ton off 106 balls. He kept batting brilliantly and reached the 150-run mark off just 134 balls. He put England under pressure till he stayed in the middle and finished the innings with 177 runs under his belt in 146 balls, with 12 fours and 6 sixes.
Also, Hashmatullah Shahidi (40), Azmatullah Omarzai (41), and Mohammad Nabi (40) chipped in with crucial runs to help Afghanistan post 325/7 on the board.
Chasing the total, England lost Phil Salt and Jamie Smith very early. However, the partnership with Ben Duckett and Joe Root kept England in the hunt.
After Duckett got out, Root took charge and smashed a magnificent century after a long time in ODI cricket. He was eventually dismissed for 120 in the 46th over and after his dismissal things got off the track for the English team and they got all out for 317 runs in 49.5 overs.
Updated ICC Champions Trophy Points Table 2025
Ahead of Afghanistan vs England match, the Afghans were at the bottom of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group B points table with a Net Run Rate of -2.140, and the Three Lions were at the No.3 spot with a Net Run Rate of -0.475.
After the conclusion of the match, Afghanistan have jumped to the No.3 position with a Net Run Rate of -0.990 and England have dropped to the fourth spot with a Net Run Rate of -0.305.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A Table
| Teams | M | W | L | T | N/R | PT | NRR |
| New Zealand | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.863 |
| India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.647 |
| Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.443 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.087 |
ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group B Table
| Teams | M | W | L | T | N/R | PT | NRR |
| South Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2.14 |
| Australia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.475 |
| Afghanistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.99 |
| England | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.305 |
How did England perform in the previous ODI match against Afghanistan?
England endured a nightmare outing against Afghanistan in their previous ODI match during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on October 15 in Delhi. They faced a shocking 69-run defeat as the Afghan side pulled off a colossal upset.
Opting to bowl first in the match, England’s bowlers struggled against Afghanistan. Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s explosive 80-run knock off 57 balls put the English team on the back foot early.
Although Adil Rashid (3/42) provided some control and Mark Wood (2/50) struck at crucial intervals, England allowed Afghanistan’s lower order to flourish and they reached a total of 284 runs. Other than Rashid and Wood, Reece Topley, Liam Livingstone, and Joe Root picked up one wicket each.
Chasing the target, England looked absolutely miserable as Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root fell early. Dawid Malan (32) looked promising but failed to convert his start and youngster Harry Brook emerged as the lone warrior, hitting 66 runs off 61 balls
The rest of the batters crumbled under pressure and England were bowled out for 215 in just 40.3 overs, marking one of their most humiliating defeats in history.
