At the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Afghanistan shocked the field by defeating the defending champions, England, by a score of 69 runs. The game was held in New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. Afghanistan set a goal of 285 runs, and after winning the toss, England decided to field first. In addition to wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil's half-century, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz played an explosive 80 runs off 57 balls. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, however, took three wickets to halt Afghanistan's advancement. David Willey, a replacement, beat Gurbaz out just as he was about to reach the century mark. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, two lower-order batsmen for Afghanistan, contributed significant runs to the team's successful total.
In response, England got off to a shaky start as left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed opener Jonny Bairstow early on. Afghanistan's spinners then took control, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissing Joe Root and Mohammad Nabi removing Dawid Malan. Naveen-ul-Haq, a pace bowler, also cheaply dismissed England captain Jos Buttler. Star-leg spinner Rashid Khan further troubled England by dismissing Liam Livingstone and Adil Rashid. Harry Brook provided some resistance with a 66-run inning but fell to Mujeeb Ur Rahman. England found themselves in trouble at 169–8. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was awarded the player of the match for his excellent bowling performance.
The victory was a proud moment for Afghanistan, with Mujeeb expressing his happiness and calling it a great achievement for the region. Rashid Khan hoped that the victory would put smiles on the faces of those in Afghanistan who have suffered from numerous earthquakes. On the other hand, England, who had previously lost to New Zealand, suffered their second defeat of the competition. Captain Buttler admitted that Afghanistan outplayed them and acknowledged the skillful attack of the Afghan team.
With this win, Afghanistan moved up to sixth place in the group standings, one spot ahead of England. Prior to this match, Afghanistan had suffered heavy losses against Bangladesh and India in their previous games. This victory was a significant boost for Afghanistan, which had only won one World Cup match in their history, against Scotland in 2015.
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