The Afghanistan cricket team charted new waters as they beat the defending, or so to speak, attacking champions for the first time in history. This remarkable feat took place during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, with Afghanistan winning by a healthy margin of 69 runs. English batters failed to handle the spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan. It is unquestionably the biggest upset in this World Cup so far, as Mujeeb Ur Rahman completely demolished the British batting lineup with his magical fingers.
Jos Buttler, at the toss, elected to bowl first, keeping in mind the previous two matches played at the same venue and due to the dew factor, which might play a role in the second innings. The Afghanistan batters played out of their skins against the top-quality side on Sunday as they managed to accumulate 284 runs in 49.5 overs, which is the second-highest total of Afghanistan in World Cups.
While chasing, England struggled big time against the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan. The batsmen didn’t apply themselves on the pitch, resulting in a historical defeat for the Englishmen. With this win, Afghanistan ended their 14-match losing streak in ODI World Cups. The only other win for Afghanistan in the World Cups was against Scotland in 2015 at Dunedin.
Afghanistan’s Batsmen Laid a Fine Foundation
Afghan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran got off to a flying start as they built a 114-run partnership, which became the third-highest partnership for Afghanistan in World Cups. England spinner Adil Rashid dismissed Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah in back-to-back overs.
Rahmat’s wicket brought another one in the very next delivery, as the set batsman Gurbaz got run out with a score of 80. Gurbaz became the fourth-highest run-scorer for Afghanistan in ODI World Cups. Moreover, Afghanistan’s openers scored 79 runs in the first powerplay (1-10 overs), which is the highest total for Afghanistan in World Cups.
Joe Root and Liam Livingstone picked up the wickets of Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai, respectively, and Mark Wood dismissed Mohammad Nabi. However, the most important partnership of the match came when Ikram Alikhil and Rashid, as well as Ikram and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, built partnerships of 43 and 44 runs, respectively.
Ikram notched his second World Cup fifty, scoring 58 off 66. Ikram’s 58 runs became the highest score from No. 6 or below for Afghanistan in World Cups. However, Adil Rashid took his third wicket by dismissing Rashid Khan, and Wood picked up his second of the day by dismissing Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Livingston finished his spell with figures of 10-0-33-1, whereas Adil Rashid returned figures of 10-1-42-3. England’s spinners together claimed 5 wickets, and it was clear that Afghan spinners would definitely enjoy bowling on the surface.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan Guided Afghanistan to a Historic Victory
England opener Jonny Bairstow was dismissed in the second over of the innings by Fazalhaq Farooqi. Inside the first powerplay, England suffered another blow when Joe Root was bowled by Mujeeb Ur Rahman. A 35-run partnership between Dawid Malan and Harry Brook was broken by Nabi. England’s captain, Jos Buttler, was bowled out by Naveen-ul-Haq’s in-swinging delivery. The British team found themselves struggling at 91-4 within the first 20 overs.
Livingston was trapped LBW by Rashid Khan, adding to England’s troubles. After a short interval, Nabi dismissed Sam Curran. Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck again with a perfect wrong ‘un delivery, removing Chris Woakes. The last glimmer of hope for England rested on Harry Brook, who was batting at 66 off 61, but Mujeeb Ur Rahman delivered the killer blow with his carrom ball, sending Brook back to the pavilion.
A brief partnership was built between Adil Rashid and Mark Wood, but Rashid Khan ensured further safety by taking the wicket of Adil Rashid. It was Rashid Khan once again who clinched the last wicket for England, sealing their shocking defeat. Mujeeb Ur Rahman finished with bowling figures of 10-1-51-3, while Rashid Khan ended with figures of 9.3-1-37-3. Nabi also provided valuable support and registered figures of 6-0-16-2. This is the first time England have lost 8 wickets to spin in a WC match.
This Trophy is for the People Back Home who are Affected by the Earthquake in Herat – Mujeeb Ur Rahman
After winning the Player of the Match award, Mujeeb Ur Rahman expressed his pride in his team’s victory in the World Cup. He highlighted the hard work and teamwork that led to their triumph and acknowledged the challenge of bowling in the powerplay as a spinner. He dedicated the victory to the people affected by the earthquake in Herat.
“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,” said Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
“Bowling with the new ball and trying to be as consistent as possible. That’s something which has made me more effective. 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,” he added.
“(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,” he concluded.