England suffered a humbling 69-run defeat to Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi this past Sunday. With this loss, England becomes the first side in ICC ODI World Cup history to be beaten by all 11 nations with Test status. The chase of 285 was a struggle for England, as most of their batters failed to adjust to the conditions. Only Harry Brook seemed to have a handle on the Afghan bowlers, contributing a solid 66, whereas the rest of the order collapsed. Afghanistan's success was largely due to Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan, both of whom claimed three wickets.
England has a dubious record after being defeated by Afghanistan by 69 runs in a World Cup group match at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. England has become the first side in ICC ODI World Cup history to lose against all 11 Test-playing nations. Chasing 285, England’s batters struggled to adapt to the conditions well and score runs freely. Harry Brook was the only batter who read the Afghan bowler’s line and length well and scored runs with ease. Brook top-scored with a fine knock of 66 while other batters departed cheaply. Afghan spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan starred for their side, picking up three wickets each.
Captain Jos Butler's decision to opt for batting first backfired significantly. Afghanistan came out swinging, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz taking the attack to the bowlers from the start. Ibrahim Zadran played the anchor role effectively, and together they put on 114 runs for the first wicket in under 17 overs. England finally found a breakthrough when Joe Root pulled off a brilliant catch to dismiss Zadran for 28.
England attempted to claw their way back into the match with a double strike in the 19th over. Jos Butler showed great skill behind the wickets to get Rahmat Shah out for just 3. The momentum shifted further when a communication breakdown between the runners led to the dismissal of Gurbaz, who had been scoring rapidly with 80 off 57 balls. Later contributions from Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai added 14 and 19 runs respectively.
Ikram Alikhil maintained the scoring pace with a graceful 58. Lower-order contributions from Rahman (23) and Rashid (28) pushed Afghanistan to a competitive total of 284 before they were bowled out in the final over. On the bowling side for England, Adil Rashid was the standout with three wickets, supported by Mark Wood's two.
The chase started poorly for England as Fazalhaq Farooqi struck early, removing Johny Bairstow for only 2 in the second over. The pressure mounted when Rahman dismissed the dangerous Joe Root for 11. While Dawid Malan and Harry Brook tried to stabilize the innings, Mohammad Nabi broke the partnership by dismissing Malan for 32. England's middle order crumbled as they struggled to read the game, losing wickets steadily. Despite some resistance from the lower order, they were eventually bundled out for 215, handing Afghanistan a historic win.