The 2023 World Cup experienced its initial significant surprise when Afghanistan pulled off a 69-run victory against defending champions England at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on October 15.
Although considered underdogs, Afghanistan has almost defeated several top-tier teams in recent years. In their debut in the 2015 ODI World Cup, they lost all but one of their six matches.
Afghanistan’s solitary victory occurred in a thrilling match against Scotland, the two associate nations, with Afghanistan winning by just one wicket in a closely contested game in Dunedin.
The Asian team also gave Sri Lanka a run for their money but eventually lost by four wickets. The 2019 World Cup marked a period when Afghanistan had notable players like Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman in their lineup.
Despite this, the Afghan team had a highly disappointing campaign, losing all nine of their matches and ending up at the bottom of the standings.
Although it may have seemed like a regression, the team led by Gulbadin Naib did come close to defeating some of the top-ranked teams on multiple occasions before ultimately facing defeat.
In their second match against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan faced a tough challenge, and the Sri Lankans secured a hard-fought 34-run victory.
After three consecutive heavy losses, Afghanistan delivered an intense contest against the tournament favorites, India, narrowly missing a remarkable win by just 11 runs. Their 2019 World Cup journey concluded with two close defeats to Pakistan and West Indies, with margins of three wickets and 23 runs, respectively.
In the 2023 World Cup, Afghanistan started with two consecutive losses to Bangladesh and India before causing an upset against England. Afghanistan won their second game in the ODI World Cup after a long time, and they’re going to have a big celebration.
What was the key to Afghanistan’s surprising win against England?
After the India-Pakistan match, the England-Afghanistan game was expected to be boring. But Afghanistan’s openers set a different tone, reaching 114/0 by the 17th over. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the wicket-keeper, was especially aggressive, scoring an impressive 80 off 57 balls before being run out.
Even at 122/3 and later 190/6, it seemed like they might not score much, but Ikram Alikhil, playing his first game in this World Cup, contributed with a smooth 58 off 66 balls.
Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman made significant contributions with scores in the twenties, helping Afghanistan reach a competitive total of 284.
England faced early difficulties in their reply as Afghanistan’s inspired bowlers quickly removed Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root in the opening seven overs, leaving England at 33/2. While Harry Brook in the middle order showed resistance, the rest of the batsmen struggled as wickets continued to fall regularly.
Despite some late aggressive strokes by the lower-order batsmen, England could only manage a disappointing total of 215, resulting in a humbling 69-run defeat.
The five main bowlers, including Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, who was named the Player of the Match, made significant contributions by taking three wickets each.
This loss puts England in a challenging situation with just one victory in three games, having faced a heavy defeat to New Zealand on the opening day and a win against Bangladesh.
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