Joe Root’s hard-fought 120 was outshined by a miraculous fifer from Omarzai and a remarkable 177 from Zadran as England suffered a sad 8-run loss to Afghanistan in Lahore at the Champions Trophy on Wednesday, eliminating them from semi-final contention.
Chasing 326 runs, an early collapse occurred, leaving ENG at a precarious 133/4.
Root then stepped in, scoring a brilliant 120 runs from 111 balls, to withstand the Afghan bowling and guide England to safety.
However, Omarzai would make his mark in the final moments, scoring his fifer in the last over and concluding with figures of 5/- to secure the exciting victory for Afghanistan.
Previously, AFG captain Shahidi called the toss and chose to bat first.
Ibrahim Zadran struck 177 runs, marking his highest one-day score, and formed a 103-run partnership with captain Hashmatullah Shahidi as they posted an impressive 325 for 7 against a lethargic England.
Zadran accumulated his score from 146 balls, while Shahidi made 40 from 67 deliveries after Afghanistan faced difficulties at 37 for 3 in the ninth over.
Zadran also had a 72-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Azmatullah Omarzai (41 off 31 balls) and a 111-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Nabi (40 off 24 balls) while putting up a solid total.
