Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran struck a Champions Trophy record of 177 to lift his country from an early wobble to 325-7 against England in their group match in Lahore on Wednesday.
The Group B clash at the Gaddafi Stadium is effectively a knockout with the losing team out of the semi-final race of the 50-over tournament.
Playing under the cloud of boycott calls from some British politicians over the plight of women in the Taliban-ruled nation, Afghanistan elected to bat in a bid to bounce back from their opening loss.
But they soon slipped to 37-3 inside nine overs before Zadran pulled the innings together with a fourth-wicket partnership of 103 with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, who made 40.
Zadran later added 111 for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Nabi, who hit 40 in 24 balls. The 23-year-old took apart the England bowling and went past his previous ODI best of 162 in his 146-ball knock laced with 12 fours and six sixes.
He not only broke his own record for Afghanistan’s highest individual ODI score but also a tournament record, days after Ben Duckett’s 165 in England’s opening loss to Australia.
England fast bowler Jofra Archer struck three early blows including two in one over starting with Rahmanullah Gurbaz bowled for six.
Jofra and new-ball partner Mark Wood worked up fast speeds between 145-150 kilometres per hour but were soon jolted by an injury to Wood, who twice left the field. Wood’s absence after bowling just four overs allowed Zadran to counterattack, forcing skipper Jos Buttler to rotate his bowling options.
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid finally broke the stand as he bowled Shahidi, who failed to connect an attempted reverse sweep and the ball rattled the stumps.
Zadran reached his seventh ODI ton with a single off Liam Livingstone as he and Azmatullah Omarzai changed gears in a brisk stand of 72 until Omarzai departed on 41.
Zadran remained unaffected by the wicket as he kept up the attack and hammered a six and three fours off Archer.
Wood went off again after bowling another set of four overs with Buttler left to manage his options against a rampaging Zadran and Nabi.
Zadran finally fell to Livingstone, who also sent back Nabi in the final over.
Afghanistan previously faced England in an ODI in the 2023 World Cup in New Delhi where they shocked the defending champions with a stunning victory.
