NEW DELHI: Opener Ibrahim Zadran smashed a sensational 177 off 146 balls as Afghanistan posted a commanding 325 for seven in their crucial Champions Trophy clash against England on Wednesday. His innings, laced with 12 boundaries and six sixes, anchored Afghanistan’s recovery after a shaky start.
Zadran found strong allies in skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (40 off 67, 3x4), with whom he stitched a vital 103-run fourth-wicket stand, and Azmatullah Omarzai (41 off 31), adding another crucial 72 runs for the fifth wicket. Later, he accelerated further, plundering 111 runs for the sixth wicket alongside Mohammad Nabi (40 off 24), putting England under immense pressure.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!With both teams fighting to stay in contention for the semifinals, Afghanistan’s innings initially wobbled. Opting to bat first, they were rattled early by Jofra Archer (3/64), who removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz (dragged onto stumps), Sediqullah Atal (lbw), and Rahmat Shah (caught at square leg) inside the powerplay, reducing them to 37/3.
Zadran began cautiously but shifted gears after reaching his fifty off 65 balls. He launched Jamie Overton for consecutive boundaries before losing Shahidi to Adil Rashid’s sharp leg-spin. However, he found support in Omarzai, and the duo counterattacked to put England on the back foot.
Despite a knee injury limiting Mark Wood’s bowling to eight overs, England struggled to contain Zadran. He brought up his sixth ODI century off 106 balls and then tore into Overton and Archer, hammering multiple boundaries to race past 150.
The onslaught continued as he and Nabi scored at over 11 runs an over in the final 10 overs, punishing England’s tiring attack. Afghanistan added 113 runs in the last phase before Zadran eventually fell to Liam Livingstone in the final over.
Livingstone, however, later left the field with an apparent hamstring issue, adding to England’s concerns in this high-stakes encounter.
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