Afghanistan’s Historical Win Against England ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup

In a historic turn of events, Afghanistan achieved a remarkable victory against one of the tournament favorites, England, in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. This triumph marked only their second win in World Cup history, ending a 14-match losing streak that had persisted since 2015.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s magnificent 80-run innings In World Cup

Batting first after being asked to, Afghanistan showcased their determination from the very beginning. Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s magnificent 80-run innings not only provided a flying start but also instilled confidence in their team’s ability to compete with a champion side like England. Although they faced a brief stumble in the middle overs, Afghanistan quickly regrouped, thanks to invaluable contributions from lower-order batsmen, eventually setting a competitive target of 284.

With a fairly good batting track, defending this total against England’s powerful batting lineup was not going to be easy. Afghanistan needed a strong start with the ball, and they got just that. The opening bowlers, Farooqi and Mujeeb, dismissed key English batsmen early in the powerplay, leaving England in a precarious situation. Nabi’s experience and skill further troubled England as he claimed the wicket of Dawid Malan. Afghanistan continued to pile on the pressure, and Naveen’s delivery removed the English skipper, Jos Buttler. As wickets kept falling, England found themselves at 91/4, and the game began to slip away from their grasp.

Despite a determined effort by Harry Brook, Afghanistan’s spinners, particularly Mujeeb and Nabi, continued to make inroads into the English batting lineup. Brook’s resistance was eventually broken by Mujeeb, and that marked the turning point of the match. Afghanistan eventually secured a convincing 69-run victory, dominating both with the bat and ball.

This win not only ended Afghanistan’s losing streak in World Cups but also showcased their progress as a competitive cricketing nation. Afghanistan had previously secured only one win in World Cups, against Scotland in 2015.

In terms of statistics, the spinner’s performances in this match were noteworthy. The Afghan spinners took 8 wickets for 104 runs in 25.3 overs, with an economy rate of 4.11, while England’s spinners took 5 wickets for 94 runs in 24 overs.

Additionally, this victory is a testament to the trend in Delhi, where teams batting first have won 6 out of the last 8 matches since 2013, with only two exceptions.

The key wicket-takers for Afghanistan in World Cup history include Mohammad Nabi with 15 wickets, Dawlat Zadran with 14, Rashid Khan with 11, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman with 10.

In terms of spin bowling records in World Cups, this match saw a notable achievement with Afghan spinners taking 13 wickets, making it one of the top performances in World Cup history.

Notably, England lost 8 wickets to spin in this match for the first time in a World Cup game.

Finally, in the context of Afghanistan’s World Cup history, the best bowling figures for Afghanistan in World Cups have been 4/30 by Mohammad Nabi against Sri Lanka in 2019 and 4/38 by Shapoor Zadran against Scotland in 2015. These achievements reflect the growth and progress of Afghanistan as a competitive cricketing nation on the global stage.

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