A lethal bowling attack by Afghanistan helped them defeat England by 69 runs in the 2023 World Cup
In the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023, defending champion England got defeated by Afghanistan on Sunday, October 15. England were coming off a win over Bangladesh in their last match, while Afghanistan were yet to taste the sweet victory in the 13th edition of the marquee event. The Sunday clash kicked off with English captain Jos Buttler winning the toss and opting to field first.
While the first Afghanistan cricket team, under the captaincy of Hashmatullah Shahidi, posted a target of 284 runs before getting bundled out by their opponents, Apart from Rahmanullah Gurbaz's 57-baller 80 and Ikram Alikhil's 58-run knock, the Afghanistan batting unit couldn't put up a decent performance.
The Three Lions were destructive while bowling to their opponents, while Adil Rashid emerged as the highest wicket-taker with three dismissals under his name. In the second inning, the Afghans got some quick success in the form of Jonny Bairstow, as the opener was sent back to the pavilion on the first ball of the second over.
England tried their best to gain some stability for their side and continue their momentum in the match. However, Shahidi and his men had already decided to make up for their average batting performance as they ruthlessly dismissed their opponent batters in quick succession.
Harry Brook remained their highest scorer with his 66 runs in 61 balls, before the remaining batters seemed to have surrendered before the bowlers.