Afghanistan defeated England by eight runs on Wednesday, February 26 to maintain their aspirations of making it to the semi-finals. In Match 8 of the Champions Trophy 2025, the Blue Tigers defeated the Three Lions at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore thanks to standout performances from Ibrahim Zadran and Azmatullah Omarzai.
With the new ball, England took out Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, and Rahmat Shah after Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bat first. All three of those wickets were taken by Jofra Archer.
Afghan supporters had optimism for a comeback when Shahidi and Ibrahim Zadran put on a vital 103-run partnership off 124 balls.
Omarzai attacked the English bowlers after Shahidi left for 40, hitting 41 off 31 balls. In addition, Mohammad Nabi had a powerful appearance, scoring 40 runs off just 24 deliveries. But Zadran was the center of attention as he hammered his second score of 150 or more. After hitting 177 off 146 balls, the right-handed batter was removed by Liam Livingstone in the final over. Archer was outstanding with the ball, scoring three runs for sixty-four in ten overs as Afghanistan ended their innings at 325/7.
In response, Omarzai dismissed Phil Salt in the fourth over, giving the Afghans their first breakthrough. Jamie Smith made an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Muhammad Nabi. England needed a partnership to get back into the game after the wicketkeeper was removed in the seventh over. The Three Lions rallied with the support of Ben Duckett and Joe Root, who combined for 68 runs for the third wicket.
Harry Brook got off to a fast start and left. Joe Root and Jos Buttler formed a crucial 83-run partnership from 91 balls after Buttler joined him in the middle. In the 37th over, Omarzai ended the relationship, which appeared to be risky. Liam Livingstone died young as well. With Jamie Overton by his side, it was up to Root to lead England home. Before being dismissed by Omarzai, the former England Test captain hammered 120 off 111 balls.
Despite his best efforts, Overton’s 32-run innings stopped in the 48th over. To stay in the competition, Afghanistan ultimately knocked England out for 317 in 49.5 overs.
Check out how X reacted to Match 8 of the Champions Trophy 2025:
Afghanistan Cricket….you beauty
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 26, 2025
अफ़गान जलेबी
Afghanistan
England
#ENGvsAFG pic.twitter.com/JoCr2ta4f7— Ajinkya Ajit Patil (@Ajinky__patil) February 26, 2025
AFGHANISTAN HAS KNOCKED OUT ENGLAND FROM CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2025
– A HISTORIC DAY IN AFGHANISTAN CRICKET…!!!!
#ENGvsAFG #ChampionsTrophy pic.twitter.com/Gnp0BwQwJ0
— Harry45 (@Harrykamad45) February 26, 2025
Congratulations Afghanistan for beat the England, we Indians are really happy for our afghani brothers
— आदित्य
(@Aditya4BMR) February 26, 2025
Are you Rooting For Afganistan?
Like ♥️ If U are rooting for ..Joe Root , England #ENGvsAFG #AFGvENG pic.twitter.com/ceuultOITN
— Roman Aamir (@Romanaamir01) February 26, 2025
Men’s ODI cricketer of the year, Azmatullah Omarzai, combining beautifully with Ibrahim Zadran.
Amazing for Afghanistan!!#AFGvENG #ChampionsTrophy2025— Mpumelelo Mbangwa (@mmbangwa) February 26, 2025
WHATTA WIN FOR AFGHANISTAN
#ENGvsAFG#ChampionsTrophy pic.twitter.com/X5OnXa3XoO
— AK CRICK INFO (@akcrickinfo) February 26, 2025
AFGHANISTAN KNOCKED OUT ENGLAND FROM THE CHAMPIONS TROPHY.
– WHAT AN ICONIC DAY IN THE HISTORY OF AFGHANISTAN CRICKET.#ENGvsAFG #AFGvENG pic.twitter.com/IcKDHsHIF2
— Sanjana Ganesan
Brilliant from Afghanistan .. Throughly deserved win .. England just haven’t played good enough white ball cricket for a couple of years .. this result isn’t a surprise in these conditions .. #ChampionsTrophy2025
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 26, 2025
India
