Updated: February 26, 2025 11:27 PM IST 
Afghanistan beat England by eight runs to knock them out of the Champions Trophy. For years, Afghanistan has been seen as the rising team, celebrated for their upsets against the cricketing giants. But now, they are steadily becoming one of the premier white-ball teams in the world, particularly in subcontinental conditions.
With a total well over 300 runs, Afghanistan remained in the hunt throughout the match, making an early breakthrough with a wicket. The match saw some back-and-forth moments, but the spinners held firm, bowling 18 consecutive overs between the 17th and 34th overs. However, it was Azmatullah Omarzai who proved to be the game-changer, claiming the crucial scalps of Jos Buttler and Joe Root during the death overs before completing his remarkable five-wicket haul to seal the victory.
Afghanistan take an absolute nail-biter to stay alive in the #ChampionsTrophy 2025 🤯📈#AFGvENG ✍️: https://t.co/6IQekpiozs pic.twitter.com/b3PUb6jfZo
— ICC (@ICC) February 26, 2025
Afghanistan beat England by eight runs to knock them out of the Champions Trophy.
England vs Afghanistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Live Score: Who would have expected this? Since coming in, Archer has struck a couple of boundaries, and Jamie Overton continues to build on his solid performance. Farooqi, Afghanistan’s other designated death bowler, has struggled to execute his plans. With the run rate barely under control, it might be a good idea for Afghanistan to bring in another over of off-spin. While there are two right-handers at the crease, Archer and Overton might find it more challenging to face a spinner than a pacer at this stage. As we speak, Omarzai has removed Overton.
England vs Afghanistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Live Score: Joe Root has registered his 17th ODI century, his first since his last one in 2019 against the West Indies in Southampton. Scoring centuries in white-ball matches is a rare feat, and although Root has achieved this milestone, the job is far from done. England still has a significant task ahead, and much of the responsibility lies with Root. While Overton is a strong hitter, the situation calls for someone to anchor the innings and maintain a steady tempo. Overton may take risks, but Root will be aiming to steer the game as deep as possible and reassess the situation as it unfolds.
England vs Afghanistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Live Score: Noor is having a solid spell at the moment. He seemed a little off in the last match, but he’s found his groove now. The match is still evenly poised. While Root is playing steadily, Buttler is beginning to find his rhythm. Shahidi might want to consider introducing pace for a couple of overs after the upcoming water break, which is about 10 minutes away. Right now, both Buttler and Root seem to be settling into a good flow. A couple of overs from Gulabdin or Omarzai might disrupt their rhythm and even lead to a wicket. However, if those overs don’t go as planned, both batters could capitalize and build pressure back on Afghanistan.
England vs Afghanistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Live Score: Jos Buttler is taking a measured approach at the crease right now. He doesn’t have the best matchup against Rashid Khan, so slowing down and getting used to the conditions may not be a bad tactic. There was a near-dismissal just now involving Mohammad Nabi. Buttler attempted to work the ball to the leg side but missed entirely. It looked like he was out when the ball struck his pad, but the on-field umpire did not signal for his dismissal. Afghanistan reviewed the decision, and it came down to an umpire’s call on whether the ball would have hit the stumps. This moment could prove to be a pivotal point in the match.
England vs Afghanistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Live Score: So far, England’s batters Root and Brook have been focused on staying on the backfoot, utilizing the Afghan spinners’ pace to play the ball. Playing late allows them more time to adjust to the variations the spinners are delivering, as many of the English batsmen read the ball more from the surface than the hand. However, things could become challenging when the dew sets in and causes the ball to skid on a bit more. While it’s true that dew complicates things for spinners, bowlers like Zampa and Rashid could benefit from it due to their bowling styles, especially when facing a batting lineup like England’s, who tend to pick the ball off the length.
England vs Afghanistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Live Score: Joe Root and Ben Duckett were the duo that rescued England in the previous match, and now they must repeat that feat. It won’t be easy, as the Afghan spinners will find the conditions more favorable than in the last game. Rashid Khan, with runs to defend and the required rate increasing, becomes an even more dangerous bowler when the pressure shifts to the batters, who are left to simply survive. Noor Ahmed appears to be a similar bowler, relying on batters to attack in order to create wicket-taking opportunities. In any case, England must be strategic and skillful if they are to succeed in this chase from here on out.
England vs Afghanistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Live Score: Phil Salt’s poor form continues with another low score. He attempted a powerful shot on the leg side to a good-length delivery but missed the ball completely, which brushed the off-stump bail and sent it flying. It marks yet another failure for Salt on this tour to the sub-continent. While aggressive cricket is encouraged in these conditions, it seems he is not willing to give himself time or respect the good balls. His approach feels overly premeditated. Afghanistan has made an early breakthrough, dismissing the opening batsman with their seam attack. Jamie Smith now steps in, with a crucial innings ahead of him.
England vs Afghanistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Live Score: Farooqi and Omarzai have opened the bowling for Afghanistan. While Farooqi has managed to extract some swing and even a bit of seam movement, Omarzai has not found much assistance. Earlier, Archer bowled some deadly in-swingers, but in this innings, that hasn’t been as noticeable. However, the ball is still moving a little, as it tends to do under the lights. From England’s perspective, both Salt and Duckett need to take an aggressive approach to put Afghanistan on the back foot, building a solid foundation before the spinners come into play.
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