Mujeeb Ur Rahman emerged as the Player of the Match in Afghanistan's remarkable triumph over defending champions England in their 2023 World Cup clash at the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi on October 15, Sunday. This major turnaround has set the tone of the ODI World Cup 2023.
After posting a challenging total of 284, Mujeeb Ur Rahman broke England's back, snaring the prized wickets of Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Chris Woakes. His impressive bowling figures of 10-1-51-3 played an instrumental role in dismantling England's batting lineup. Complementing Mujeeb, Rashid Khan claimed three wickets for 37 runs, while Mohammad Nabi added two more to Afghanistan's tally. Meanwhile, Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq each contributed with one wicket. Mujeeb Ur Rahman also contributed with the bat and scored a valuable 28 runs off just 16 balls.
It was Afghanistan's first ever win over England across formats.
Meanwhile a heartwarming moment took place post the match when a little Afghanistan fan approached Mujeeb Ur Rahman near the dugout. Overwhelmed with emotion, the young fan hugged Mujeeb tightly and was seen crying his heart out. This emotional scene quickly went viral on social media, garnering praise and admiration from fans worldwide.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE…
Looking at the young fan in tears, a member of the Afghanistan team brought a chocolate and rallied it to Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who, handed it to the emotional young supporter.
Talking about the match, England elected to bowl first and faced an early challenge in the form of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who delivered a blistering 80 runs off 57 balls before being run out. England staged a comeback during the middle overs, but 23-year-old sensation Ikram Alikhil displayed resilience, notching a gritty half-century with 58 runs off 66 balls. Contributions from Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman further propelled Afghanistan to a competitive total of 284.
Afghanistan's bowlers were on a show, maintaining control over England right from the outset. In the second over, Farooqi dismissed Jonny Bairstow, while the spin trio of Mujeeb, Rashid, and Nabi applied pressure to the remaining English batsmen, with Naveen-ul-Haq accounting for Jos Buttler.
Meanwhile, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who was adjudged the Player of the Match for his impressive spell of 51/3 dedicated his award to the earthquake victims. “Very proud moment to be here in the World Cup and beating the champions. It's a great achievement for the whole team, we worked hard for this day. We beat such a big team. It was a wonderful performance from the bowlers and the batters. As a spinner, it's pretty hard to bowl in the powerplay, you have only two fielders outside. That's something I've been working in the nets. Bowling with the new ball and trying to be as consistent as possible. That's something which has made me more effective,” Mujeeb said.
“I am always trying to bowl stump to stump and keep it simple. We knew that the dew was going to come and play a part in the latter part. That's why I was telling the captain to bowl me in the powerplay. We were mentally prepared. (On his batting) It's all about the management, the players. They give me confidence in the nets. He has always been with me in the nets, my partner. He wants to hit each and every ball, that's the area I want to contribute as well. Those 20-25 runs means a lot for the team. This trophy is for the people back home who are affected by the earthquake in Herat. This whole win is for them,” Mujeeb added.
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ENG vs AFG: Rashid Khan dedicates Afghanistan's win over England to earthquake victims, says 'this will give them some happiness'
ENG vs AFG: Jos Buttler gutted after England's shocking loss against Afghanistan, says 'You got to let these defeats hurt'
