Afghanistan earned a historic 8-run win over England in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group B clash in Lahore, keeping their semi-final hopes alive and eliminating Jos Buttler’s men from the tournament.
The thrilling contest turned out to be a battle between two batting giants, Ibrahim Zadran and Joe Root, with the rest of the batters reduced to auxiliary roles. Sent in to bat first on a friendly wicket, Afghanistan relied on Ibrahim Zadran’s 177 runs to post a massive total of 325 runs on the board. Quick-fire contributions from Mohammad Nabi (40 off 24 balls) and Azmatullah Omarzai (41 off 31 balls) ensured England needed to bring their A-game in the chase.
In reply, England’s chase never got off the ground as Afghanistan’s bowlers, led by Omarzai (5 for 58), kept breaking partnerships at regular intervals. Joe Root was the lone warrior for England with 120 off 111 balls, but his dismissal in the latter stages of the game sealed the deal in Afghanistan’s favor. England only managed to score 317 runs in their innings, crashing out of the tournament with a second straight loss.
Afghanistan’s win over England means that Group B of the Champions Trophy is still undecided, with Afghanistan, South Africa, and Australia all capable of making the knockout stages.
Here is how things stand in Group B for now:
| Team | Matches Played | Wins | Losses | No Result | Points | Net Run Rate (NRR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +2.140 |
| Australia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +0.475 |
| Afghanistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -0.990 |
| England | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -0.305 |
Group B is heading for a thrilling conclusion, with Afghanistan set to take on Australia next on February 28th, while South Africa and England will complete the group stages on March 1st.
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