World Champions crumble
Oct 15, 2023
A historic day for Afghanistan cricket:
Afghanistan claimed the most famous scalp of their international history, and in the process provided the first big shock of the 2023 World Cup, by routing England's world champions by 69 runs in a spin-and-seam masterclass under the Delhi floodlights.
Their dominance was set in motion by a fearless display of power-hitting from the 21-year-old Rahmanullah Gurbaz, whose 80 from 57 had promised so much more until a run-out sawed him off in his prime. But Ikram Alikhil marshalled Afghanistan's lower-order with a precious half-century on his World Cup debut, whereupon they set about making a target of 285 seem as dim and distant as England's hopes of defending their title must now feel.
Plus, the team that has the grandest history in World Cups is currently at the bottom of the table! If things don't turn around, then for only the second time both Australia and England won't make it to the semi-finals.
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