Afghanistan knocked England out of the ICC Champions Trophy with an eight-run victory at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. The win, powered by a five-wicket haul from Azmatullah Omarzai, saw Afghanistan successfully defend a target of 325.
Afghanistan, who elected to bat first, were reduced to 37/3 early on but fought back through a historic 177-run knock by Ibrahim Zadran. Zadran, who hit 177 off 146 balls, became Afghanistan's first centurion in the Champions Trophy. He shared key partnerships with Hashmatullah Shahidi and Mohammad Nabi to boost Afghanistan's total to 325/7.
In response, England struggled early, losing three wickets within the first 100 runs. However, Joe Root’s century (120 off 111 balls) kept them in the hunt. Root and Jos Buttler built a steady partnership, but Omarzai's brilliance helped Afghanistan seal the win. He dismissed Buttler and later sent back Root to restrict England to 317/10.
The result means England, having already lost their opening match to Australia, are eliminated from the tournament. Afghanistan's stunning victory keeps them alive in the race for the semi-finals along with South Africa and Australia from Group B.
Zadran’s knock set a new record for the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history, surpassing Ben Duckett’s 165 earlier in the tournament. The win marks Afghanistan’s second-ever ODI victory over England, having previously defeated them by 69 runs in 2023.
