Twitter Reactions: Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai orchestrate famous win for Afghanistan versus England

Afghanistan kept their semi-final hopes alive and eliminated England with their eight-run win on Wednesday, February 26. The Blue Tigers defeated the Three Lions on the back of memorable performances from Ibrahim Zadran and Azmatullah Omarzai at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in Match 8 of the Champions Trophy 2025.

After Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and opted to bat first, England picked up the wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, and Rahmat Shah with the new ball. Jofra Archer picked up all three of those wickets.

Shahidi and Zadran put on a crucial 103-run partnership off 124 balls to give Afghan fans hopes of a turnaround. After Shahidi departed for 40, Omarzai took the attack to the English bowlers and slammed 41 off 31 balls. Mohammad Nabi also played a power-packed cameo of 40 off 24 deliveries. However, the spotlight was firmly on Zadran, who slammed his second 150-plus score. The right-handed batter was dismissed by Liam Livingstone in the last over after scoring 177 off 146 balls. Afghanistan finished their innings of 325/7 as Archer starred with the ball, bagging a three-for for 64 runs in 10 overs.

Also Read: Ibrahim Zadran sets new world record with two ODI 150s before turning 24

In reply, Omarzai gave the Afghans their first breakthrough as he got rid of Phil Salt in the fourth over. Jamie Smith tried to take on Mohammad Nabi but to no avail. The wicketkeeper lost his wicket in the seventh over as England needed a partnership to get back into the game. Ben Duckett and Joe Root added 68 runs for the third wicket to help the Three Lions muster a recovery.

Harry Brook departed after getting off to a quick start. Jos Buttler joined Joe Root in the middle and they forged a vital 83-run stand from 91 balls. Omarzai broke the dangerous-looking partnership in the 37th over. Liam Livingstone also perished early. The onus was on Root to take England home, and he had Jamie Overton for company. The former England Test skipper slammed 120 off 111 balls before being dismissed by Omarzai.

Overton tried hard, but his innings of 32 ended in the 48th over. Afghanistan eventually bowled out England for 317 in 49.5 overs to stay afloat in the competition.

Check out how X reacted to Match 8 of the Champions Trophy 2025: