AFG vs ENG Match Highlights, Champions Trophy 2025: AFG won by 8 runs

AFG vs ENG Match 8 Champions Trophy 2025 Highlights

The Afghanistan national cricket team vs England cricket team timeline shows how Jofra Archer made a dent into Afghanistan’s top order in the first few overs. The right-arm pacer in his third over claimed wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sediqullah Atal. At the fag end of the powerplay, Archer dismissed Rahmat Shah as well. Since then, England started to lose their grasp over the match. 

Afghanistan’s skipper, Shahidi, joined Zadran in the middle, who had witnessed the fall of wickets from the other end. The duo shared a 103-run stand coming in 124 balls. Zadran was the aggressive batter in the partnership, scoring 61 runs in 57 deliveries. When Shahidi was dismissed, it felt like Afghanistan would lose the momentum they had gained. However, in came Azmatullah Omarzai. He blasted his way to a quickfire 41 off 31 deliveries. On the opposite end, the opening batter was inching closer to a triple-digit score. 

Afghanistan’s highly experienced Mohammad Nabi came to the middle, and while he played his shots, Zadran created history by becoming the first Afghan batter to score a century in the ICC Champions Trophy. He is also the only batter to score a century for his country in the ODI World Cups. Zadran did not stop with a century and carried on to score 177, which is the highest score in the history of Champions Trophy. Afghanistan ended up scoring 325 runs in the first innings, 26 runs short of what England had scored on Saturday against Australia.

England, in their reply, lost quick wickets thanks to heroes from the first innings, Omarzai and Nabi’s timely scalps. Joe Root, batting at number four, shared a few crucial stands with Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, and Jos Buttler. However, neither of them stayed long enough to make a huge difference in the game. While Root went on to score a century, he rarely received any support from the other end. Omarzai, amidst all this, took a five-wicket haul, dismissing Phil Salt, Buttler, Root, Jamie Overton, and the final wicket of Adil Rashid. Nabi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rashid Khan, and Gulbadin Naib were among the wickets as well.

Also read: AFG vs AUS Dream11 Prediction Today Match 2025: Fantasy Cricket Tips

AFG vs ENG Top Performers

The AFG vs ENG clash featured some of the greatest performances in the history of the Champions Trophy. Whether it was the record-breaking knock of Zadran or the mammoth all-round performance from Omarzai, many players made a contribution in the virtual eliminator match.

Ibrahim Zadran- 177 (146)

Ibrahim Zadran, at the age of 23, is unarguably the classiest batter who has played for Afghanistan. During the rise of their nation, the Asian side was known for producing magical spinners like Rashid Khan. However, Zadran, at such a young age, has done more than what batters from top countries are yet to achieve. He has a World Cup century against Australia and now a hundred against England in the Champions Trophy. 

Coming on to the match, Zadran was left stranded initially with three wickets falling inside the powerplay. He reached his half-century in 65 balls, having hit three fours and two sixes. He gradually shifted to a higher gear and reached the triple-digit figure in 106 balls, smashing another three fours and a six. Once he had created history with his ton, Zadran shifted to fifth gear and scored another 50 runs in only 28 deliveries. The boundaries started to flow for him as he received support from Omarzai and Nabi. The right-handed batter scored 177, the highest score in CT history. He was also named the Player of the Match in the AFG vs ENG clash.

Azmatullah Omarzai- 41 (31) and 5/58

Azmatullah Omarzai is actually an underrated superstar in the Afghanistan cricket team. The medium-pace bowling all-rounder is the perfect foil in their team. He bowls with the new ball in the powerplay, in the middle-overs, and in the death, using all his variations. With the bat in hand, Omarzai bats at number six but is perfectly capable of batting a spot higher. Against England, the 24-year-old made a major difference in the first innings. He scored 41 runs in only 31 balls, hitting three sixes and a solitary four. 

In the second innings, he picked up the first wicket, dismissing Phil Salt in the fourth over. His second wicket came in the form of Buttler to break an 83-run partnership. When Root was looking to take the game away in the final 10 overs, Omarzai dismissed the centurion in the 46th over. In his next over, the right-arm pacer got rid of Jamie Overton, who had scored 32 runs in 28 balls. He claimed his maiden five-wicket haul by taking the final wicket of Adil Rashid. Omarzai’s five-wicket haul, along with his batting, helped his team win the AFG vs ENG match in the Champions Trophy.

Mohammad Nabi- 40 (24) and 2/57

Like Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi too played a crucial role in both innings of the match. In the first innings, the 40-year-old scored 40 runs in only 24 balls, hitting three sixes and two fours. His fiery knock helped Afghanistan end up with at least 10 runs more than what they would have scored. 

In the second innings, the veteran off-spinner was called in to bowl in the powerplay. He struck with his very first delivery of the match and dismissed Jamie Smith. In the middle overs, Nabi struck once again, claiming the wicket of Harry Brook in the 22nd over. In the field, he took three catches that dismissed Brook, Overton, and Archer.

Joe Root- 120 (111)

Joe Root has long been the face of England’s batting across tests and ODIs. However, as his form dipped in the One-Day format in the last couple of years, England too faced poor results. Root conceded 47 runs in his seven wicketless overs in the first innings. In the second innings, though, the Yorkshire-born scored a century and looked in control to steal the victory from the Afghans. Root received very little support from the opposite end as wickets continued to fall at regular intervals. He was dismissed in the 46th over with a deceptive slower-ball from Omarzai. 

AFG vs ENG Player of the Match

Ibrahim Zadran was named the Player of the Match in the AFG vs ENG match yesterday. The right-handed batter pipped Azmatullah Omarzai’s all-round effort to win the award. Zadran scored 177 runs in the first innings, which is the highest score in the history of the tournament. He also registered the highest individual score in ODI for Afghanistan, beating his own record of 162 from 2022. Zadran’s knock was pretty special because his team lost the first three wickets in quick succession and needed to win the match to stay in the competition.

Must read: Ibrahim Zadran smashes England out of Champions Trophy with a Cheeky score

AFG vs ENG First Innings Summary

Jofra Archer lit up the first innings, initially with his three-wicket burst in the powerplay. The right-arm pacer dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sdiqullah Atal, and Rahmat Shah. Zadran, along with his captain, Shahidi, steadied the innings with a 103-run partnership. While Shahidi played conservatively, the opening batter stepped on the gas pedal. At the fall of wicket, Zadran was joined by Omarzai. 

Omarzai scored 41 runs in only 31 deliveries to up the ante. His knock helped in increasing the scoring rate for the Asian side. Zadran reached his century during the stand. Nabi came to the crease when Omarzai was dismissed. Mr. President, as he is fondly called, showed his leadership skills with a knock of 40 runs in 24 balls. The English bowlers during the middle overs once again fell flat, and all hell broke loose for them in the final 10 overs. With Mark Wood being injured, the English bowling attack that was already depleted sunk even further and conceded 113 runs in the last 10 overs.

AFG vs ENG Second Innings Summary

England needed to chase a target of 326 runs in the second innings to stay alive in CT 2025. Their innings started on a sour note as Phil Salt was dismissed by Omarzai in the fourth over. Nabi was introduced to the attack in the seventh over and struck with his very first delivery accounting for the dismissal of Jamie Smith. 

Root came to the crease and looked in great touch on a placid track at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. He shared a 68-run stand with Ben Duckett, who was dropped before being dismissed for 38 by Rashid Khan. Harry Brook’s horrid time in Asia in white-ball cricket continued as he fell for only 25 runs, thanks to a caught and bowled dismissal by Mr. President. 

Root maintained his monk-like presence at the crease and was joined by the skipper, Buttler. The English captain’s role had already come under scrutiny with poor performances in World Cups in 2023 and 2024. He and Root shared an 83-run stand that came in only 91 deliveries. However, Omarzai came back into the attack and struck once again to account for Buttler’s wicket. Liam Livingstone managed to stay at the crease for barely 10 minutes before the muscular built Gulbadin Naib dismissed him. 

Root and Jamie Overton then shared a 54-run stand at a fairly quick rate before the medium-pace all-rounder dismissed the former. Omarzai then dismissed Overton as well as Adil Rashid to seal an eight-run victory for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan and its strategic coaches

The rise of Afghanistan’s cricket team can be attributed to head coach Jonathan Trott as much as it goes to their players. The former English cricketer has transformed the Asian side in such a manner that they have become world beaters in ICC tournaments. In the last three editions of ICC events, Afghanistan has consistently punched above its weight.

Ajay Jadeja in 2023 ODI World Cup

Trott was joined by Ajay Jadeja as his deputy in the ODI World Cup that was being held in India. Jadeja had enough experience playing in Indian stadiums and made an immediate impact on Afghanistan’s performance.

The Shahidi-led side defeated the likes of England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. They even came close to registering their maiden victory over Australia as well. Afghanistan finished sixth among the 10 teams with eight points ahead of England, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands.

Dwayne Bravo in 2024 T20 World Cup

They continued their tradition of going for the local coaches in ICC tournaments in 2024. Dwayne Bravo was appointed as a bowling mentor by Afghanistan for the T20 World Cup, which was majorly being hosted in the Carribean.

The Asian side defeated New Zealand in the initial group stages to beat them in the qualification race of Super Eights. In the Super Eights, Afghanistan lost against India but defeated Australia and Bangladesh to make it into their first semi-final of an ICC tournament.

Younis Khan in Champions Trophy 2025

In the ongoing Champions Trophy, the Asian nation appointed former Pakistani batter, Younis Khan. He is one of the most successful batters from his country, and his impact on the Afghan batting lineup has been evident. In two matches at the tournament, Afghanistan lost to South Africa but came back stronger to defeat England and knock them out of the tournament.