Afghanistan displayed tremendous determination and emerged victorious against the defending champions of the ODI World Cup, England, at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, October 15, securing a convincing 69-run win. Afghanistan, after setting a commendable target of 284 runs, saw their spin trio of Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Nabi combine forces to dismantle England's batting lineup, capturing eight crucial wickets. In response, England, led by Jos Buttler, struggled, managing only 215 runs in their innings.
This triumph granted Afghanistan two valuable points and marked their first-ever victory over the English side in any format. It was also just the second World Cup win in Afghanistan's history, with their inaugural win dating back to the 2015 edition when they defeated Scotland.
The significance of this victory, particularly considering Afghanistan's challenges beyond the cricket field, did not go unnoticed. To commemorate Afghanistan's second-ever ODI World Cup 2023 victory, the ICC has shared a video recapping their previous win in the competition, a thrilling one-wicket triumph over Scotland.
Requiring 211 runs for victory, Afghanistan found themselves in a precarious position at 97-7. However, the heroics of Samiullah Shenwari, who scored a remarkable 96, and the composed partnership of pace bowlers Shapoor Zadran and Hamed Hassan in the final-wicket stand secured an unforgettable triumph in an epic contest.
In the 2015 game, Afghanistan's fortunes fluctuated, as they went from a relatively stable position of 85 for 2 after 18 overs to a precarious 97 for 7, largely due to Richie Berrington's medium-pace bowling, following a half-century by Javed Ahmadi. However, Samiullah Shenwari, who had received a lifeline when dropped at slip by Majid Haq while on 20, went on to play a defining innings of 96 before losing his wicket. This left Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran with the task of scoring 19 runs off the final 19 balls.
Shapoor Zadran, who had earlier taken four wickets to limit Scotland to 211 runs, rose to the occasion, guiding his team towards a historic victory. In a dramatic climax, he struck a boundary off the last ball of the 49th over and sealed the win with a decisive whip off his hip against Iain Wardlaw. This moment will forever be etched in Afghanistan's cricketing history as they celebrated their maiden World Cup victory.
The sole survivor from the 2015 match against Scotland was Nabi, who also happened to be the captain in that edition. In the recent game against England, Nabi contributed with two crucial wickets, further aiding his team's cause.
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