During ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Afghanistan delivered an unexpected victory of eight runs against England which knocked England out of the championship semi-finals. The five-wicket performance by Azmatullah Omarzai resulted in England’s unsuccessful attempt at 313 runs as they tried chasing down 326 in Lahore.
Omarzai opened the attack by removing Phil Salt, and then Mohammad Nabi got rid of Jamie Smith. Joe Root defended England with exceptional style as he hit his first ODI century since 2019 by scoring 120 runs from 111 balls to create an 83-run connection with Jos Buttler. The result became certain for Afghanistan when Omarzai achieved his two vital dismissals against Root and Adil Rashid during the final over.
During theirLICC tournament highest score ever the Afghan batting line-up found greatness when Ibrahim Zadran struck 177 from 146 balls. Through his partnership with Hashmatullah Shahidi and Mohammad Nabi he established a demanding 314-run chase.
The quick wickets against Afghanistan by Jofra Archer gave way to exceptional counterattacks from their middle-order players. The Afghanistan national cricket team chose to bat first for their second match in the ICC Cricket World Cup, keeping their starting lineup identical to their preceding match and achieving their desired outcome. This breakthrough victory sparked both surprise in England along higher international standing for Afghanistan in world cricket.