England suffered an eight-run defeat against Afghanistan in their Group B match of the 2025 Champions Trophy at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, February 26. Chasing a target of 326 in a must-win clash, they were bowled out for 317.
With this loss, England were eliminated from the tournament, having suffered consecutive defeats against Australia and Afghanistan. They now sit at the bottom of their group’s points table.
Afghanistan chose to bat first and posted a strong total, powered by Ibrahim Zadran’s record 177 off 146 balls, the highest individual score in tournament history. Joe Root’s 120 off 111 kept England in the chase, while Jamie Overton’s quick 32 off 28 briefly raised hopes of a turnaround.
However, the Jos Buttler-led side ultimately fell short, bringing their Champions Trophy campaign to a disappointing end. Following the defeat, fans flooded social media with reactions, mocking England for their below-par performance.
Here are some reactions from fans:
England to weaker teams in every ICC Tournament 💀 pic.twitter.com/gXqbxIDPSM
— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) February 26, 2025
*le Jos buttler be like
#AFGvENG pic.twitter.com/QmruLEwWxQ— Dr khatra 😉 (@dumbitpatra15) February 26, 2025
Afghanistan when england in icc tournaments pic.twitter.com/EfcIF2sXli
— Pushkar (@Musafirr_hu_yar) February 26, 2025
The bowling is what lets England down apart from Rashid the others are rubbish as Geoff Boycott would say – and please can we get rid of McCullum
— Mike Bates (@MikeHBates) February 26, 2025
England ODI need a reset from Captain to coaches. This sufferance is enough for the fan – Baz might not want to two jobs. Get Morgan or Stewart
— Mario Almeida (@mazontour) February 26, 2025
Buttler has to go. Should have gone after the India WC which exposed England's failures. The 50 over question has been around for years but you can't tell me Afghanistan play more than England do…and the one day cup doesn't really cut the mustard to fix this mess
— Andrew Webb (@THENUNEATONFOX) February 26, 2025
It’s quite some fall from grace for the England One Day side after the highs of the winning the World Cup on home soil in 2019.
They need an injection of new players, strategy and a fresh captain following their dismal form in the format https://t.co/K9twDJMGbc
— Jonathan Moynihan (@JonathanMoynih3) February 26, 2025
#AFGvENG
Lets Celebrate Afganistan Vistory Over England 🔥🕺pic.twitter.com/86SMLM9zoY— Prof cheems ॐ (@Prof_Cheems) February 26, 2025
Before the 2025 Champions Trophy, England suffered a 3-0 series defeat against India in an away ODI series. They will play their last group match of the tournament against South Africa at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday, March 1.
“Not Making Emotional Statements Now” – Jos Buttler on captaincy future after England’s exit
After England’s loss to Afghanistan, Jos Buttler was asked about his future as the team’s white-ball captain during the post-match presentation. In response, he stated that he didn’t want to make any emotional decisions but remained open to all possibilities.
The explosive batter also admitted his disappointment with his own performances. Buttler said:
“Don’t feel far away from my best. I am one of the best players in the world and it feels disappointing to not play as well. (On his captaincy future) Not saying any emotional statements right now. For me and the guys at the top, we have to consider all possibilities.”
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