World Cup: Afghanistan slam 284 against England after suffering collapse
Afghanistan have racked up 284/10 against England in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran shared a century stand before Afghanistan suffered a batting collapse. However, Ikram Alikhil (58), Rashid Khan (23), and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (28) galvanized their finish with impactful knocks. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid took three wickets for England.
A dream start for Afghanistan
Gurbaz and Zadran fared well in the first Powerplay. The duo brought up Afghanistan's fifty in the seventh over. While Zadran focused on rotating the strike, the former touched the 50-run mark off just 33 balls. Afghanistan reached 100 in the 13th over, with Gurbaz contributing 66 to the partnership. Adil Rashid dismissed Zadran a few overs later (114/1).
Highest first-powerplay total for Afghanistan in WC
Afghanistan were 79/0 at the end of 10 overs. This is now their highest first Powerplay total in the World Cup. The previous highest was 61/0, which came when Hazratullah Zazai and Noor Ali Zadran paired up against New Zealand in 2019.
Afghanistan's highest opening partnership in World Cup
Gurbaz and Zadran entered the record books by stitching a record 114-run stand. This is now the highest opening stand for Afghanistan in the ODI World Cups. Zazai and Noor Ali held the previous record, having smacked 66 together against New Zealand in the 2019 edition. Notably, these are the only two 50+ opening stands for the Afghans in the tournament.
An emphatic knock from Gubraz
While Zadran focused on rotating the strike, Gurbaz touched the 50-run mark off just 33 balls. He eventually smashed a 57-ball 80 (8 fours and 3 sixes) before departing through an untimely run-out. Gurbaz could have become the first Afghanistan batter with a century in the World Cup. Samiullah Shinwari holds the record for smashing the highest score for Afghanistan in the World Cup
Highest WC score by an Afghanistan opener
Gurbaz has become only the third Afghanistan opener to record a 50+ score in the ODI World Cups. Rahmat Shah (62 vs West Indies, Leeds, WC 2019) and Javed Ahmadi (51 vs Scotland, Dunedin, WC 2015) are the other two. However, Gurbaz now has the highest score by an Afghanistan opener in the World Cup. He slammed his third ODI half-century.
Fastest to 100 runs in the 2023 ICC World Cup
Afghanistan reached the 100-run mark in only 12.4 overs. As per Bharath Seervi, they have recorded the fastest 100 by teams batting first in the 2023 WC. With Gurbaz's fifty, all teams in the 2023 WC have one opener with one 50-plus score, except Australia.
A crucial three-fer from Adil Rashid
Leg-spinner Rashid was the pick of England's bowlers in the match. He took three wickets for 42 runs in 10 overs, including a maiden. Rashid gave England their first breakthrough, breaking the century stand between Gurbaz and Zadran. The leg-spinner got rid of the latter. Rashid then dismissed Rahmat and Rashid Khan to complete his three-wicket haul.
Afghan batters show resilience after facing collapse
The Afghan innings took quite a few turns in the middle overs. They slumped from 114/1 to 190/6, with Rashid, Mark Wood, Liam Livingstone, and Joe Root striking regularly. However, Rashid (23) and Alikhil took the Afghans past 230. The latter then completed his half-century, while Mujeeb starred with his pinch-hitting in the slog overs. As a result, Afghanistan crossed the 280-run mark.
A look at other notable numbers
Ahead of the match, Rahmat Shah received his 100th ODI cap. He has become the third Afghan to play 100 ODIs. Notably, he is their highest run-scorer in the format. Besides, Afghanistan have registered their second-highest total in the World Cup. The highest came against West Indies in the 2019 edition (288). These are Afghanistan's only two 280+ scores in WC history.
