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Star opener Ibrahim Zadran’s brilliant 177 set the foundation before Azmatullah Omarzai’s five-for sealed a historic win for Afghanistan.
Former India Head Coach Schools England: ‘Take Playing In Subcontinent Seriously’ (Picture credit: AP)
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday launched a ruthless attack on the England cricket team, asking them to take playing in the subcontinent seriously, to prevent further embarrassment.
Star opener Ibrahim Zadran‘s brilliant 177 set the foundation before Azmatullah Omarzai’s five-for sealed a historic win for Afghanistan.
Joe Root kept fighting with a brilliant hundred but the required run rate was never surpassed, keeping Afghanistan in the game throughout.
“Afghanistan. You guys rock. Kammaaal Kaardi. For England. Take playing in the Subcontinent seriously with no excuses,” Shastri tweeted on Wednesday night.
England remained winless after two games and in their last league game in Group B, they will face South Africa, who already have three points besides Australia.
England suffered a 0-3 whitewash against India just ahead of the Champions Trophy and couldn’t make a comeback in the marquee event.
On Wednesday, for a long time, England’s chase rattled along as the wickets of Phil Salt and Jamie Smith jolted them early. They were 30/2 then and were bowled out for 317 with a delivery to spare as pacer Omarzai struck at important junctures.
But Root brought stability to England’s innings through two partnerships, adding 68 runs with Ben Duckett, who was dropped for 29, for the third wicket and then an 83-run partnership with captain Jos Buttler for the fifth wicket.
They weren’t blazing stands but kept England afloat, keeping them near the asking rate. Besides Root, England had another willing soldier in Jamie Overton, who added crucial 54 runs for the seventh wicket, but a slight heave off Omarzai finished his stint.
It marked the end of England’s journey in the Champions Trophy as well, after a league-stage exit from the 2023 ODI World Cup as well.
Zadran plundered 111 runs for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Nabi to put England through the wringer. He flourished in the company of Omarzai as England felt the heat of double-barrel firing.
England had to deal with a knee injury to star pacer Mark Wood, as he bowled just eight overs even after spending some time away from the field during Afghanistan’s innings.
Not just Shastri, but former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar also took a massive dig at the eliminated England side.
“They will still come and start moaning the next morning. See they cannot lose. If they lose there has to be an excuse and the excuse cannot be that they weren’t better that day or the other team was better, they will start blaming everything,” Gavaskar said while speaking on the Dressing Room Show.
“They will start blaming India also because India are playing all their matches in Dubai and why are we not playing our matches at one venue,” Gavaskar added.
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favorite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!
