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The Great Upset: Afghanistan bring World Cup to life with England conquest
Afghanistan claimed the most famous scalp of their international history, and in the process provided the first big shock of the 2023 World Cup, by routing England’s world champions by 69 runs in a spin-and-seam masterclass under the Delhi floodlights.
Their dominance was set in motion by a fearless display of power-hitting from the 21-year-old Rahamanullah Gurbaz, whose 80 from 57 had promised so much more until a run-out saw him off in his prime. But Ikram Alikhil marshalled Afghanistan’s lower-order with a precious half-century on his World Cup debut, whereupon they set about making a target of 285 seem as dim and distant as England’s hopes of defending their title must now feel.
If, after winning the toss and choosing to chase, England had assumed the second half of the match would be a cakewalk to match the 283 target that New Zealand had waltzed past in their tournament opener, those notions were scotched during a startlingly attacking powerplay from their opponents.
Jos Buttler’s decision to bat second had seemingly been influenced by the likelihood that the ball would skid on to the bat under the floodlights. But instead, the evening conditions merely exacerbated the natural attributes of each of Afghanistan’s bowlers, not least Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, right from the outset of their innings.
Farooqi’s loosener was more than enough to cause a few sideways glances in the England dressing-room, a wicked full-length inswinger from his zippy left-arm line pinned Jonny Bairstow on the crease and extracted a perfectly justifiable on-field verdict from Rod Tucker, irrespective of Bairstow’s stinkeye as he stalked from the crease after a seam’s-width DRS verdict.
But no such second-guessing was required for England’s second victim of the powerplay: Joe Root, squared up by Mujeeb’s front-of-the-hand slider, and bowled for 11 from 17 – yet another telling powerplay failure for England’s faltering kingpin – as the ball kept low to rattle middle and off.
Not for the first time, Dawid Malan was the most composed batter on show, his 32 from 39 balls single handedly dragging England through the powerplay without further loss. But Mohammad Nabi, playing his 150th ODI out of a possible 156 for his country, was waiting for him as the fielding restrictions lifted. Nabi’s fourth ball was a moment of off spinning poetry – a flighted, dipping delivery that made Malan believe his fifth boundary was on the cards, only for Ibrahim Zadran to spring the trap at short cover. At 68 for 3 in the 13th over, the alarm bells were ringing.
Buttler’s exhortation in recent weeks has been to “attack, but even he was powerless to practice what he had preached in such invidious circumstances. His only shot in anger was a pointed one, a bullet drive through the covers as Afghanistan’s main threat Rashid Khan entered the attack in the 17th over. But Naveen-ul-Haq’s fiercely flicked seamers seemed to spook him from the outset, and after being beaten twice in his first four balls, he drove without conviction through a booming inswinger, and had his stumps splattered for 9 from 18.
England’s diffidence thereafter was startling. Liam Livingstone never looked settled in his 10 from 14, eventually planting his front foot down the line to Rashid and burning a futile review in the process. Sam Curran seemed focussed solely on holding up an end while harry Brook got busy with a fighting half-century, including a handful of exquisite drives down the ground, and in the 31st over, England’s first and only six of the innings, which told a tale – especially when set against the previous World Cup meeting between these teams. Afghanistan by contrast had launched eight.
With Curran on 10 from 23 balls, Nabi – armed quite rightly with a slip – returned with another collector’s item to collect another left-hander, as Curran poked limply at a dipping offbreak and fenced low to Rahmat Shah. And it was only once the result was a foregone conclusion that England finally broke out of their defeatist mindset, with Reece Topley’s three fours in a row off Farooqi proving to be among the cleanest strikes of a flat-lining display.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 284 in 49.5 overs (Rahamanullah Gurbaz 80, Ibrahim Zadran 28, Ikram Alikhil 58, Rashid Khan 23, Mujeeb Ur Rahaman 28; Adil Rashid 3-42, Mark Wood 2-50) beat England 215 in 40.3 overs (Harry Brook 66, David Malan 32, Adil Rashid 20; Rashid Khan 3-37, Mujeeb Ur Rahaman 3-51, Mohammad Nabi 2-16) by 69 runs
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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district.
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
at 3.30 p.m. on 20 April 2026, valid for 21 April 2026
The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
Nahid Rana’s five-wicket haul followed by Tanzid Hasan’s fiery half-century got Bangladesh a six-wicket win against New Zealand. The home side leveled the ODI series, setting up the decider in Chattogram on Thursday.
It was a much-needed contribution from the Bangladesh batters, who were criticised for losing the first game by 26 runs. This time, the bowlers blew a hole through New Zealand’s top and middle orders, with Rana taking 5 for 32, his second five-for in ODIs, before the batters got them home in 35.3 overs.
Bangladesh’s chase, however, began with uncertainty once again. Nathan Smith burst through Saif Hassan with an excellent inswinger in the first over. Soumya Sarkar, drafted into the playing XI to replace Afif Hossain, fell after making eight runs. He struck Will O’Rourke for a six but New Zealand captain Tom Latham kept the three slips as he urged O’Rourke to keep bowling bouncers.
Soumya fell into the trap, when his attempted glide with a vertical bat, only reached Dean Foxcroft at third slip. Tanzid retaliated almost immediately, hitting Smith for two sixes in the fifth over. The first was over long-on, the next over midwicket with a lovely flick.
Tanzid reached his fifty with his third six, slog sweeping Foxcroft over midwicket in the 15th over. He took just 33 balls to reach his sixth half-century in ODIs.
Najimul Hossain Shanto, who made a golden duck in the first game, was more of his dominant self, complementing Tanzid’s efforts in their third-wicket partnership. Shanto struck Foxcroft’s half-tracker for six in the 17th over, before launching Jayden Lennox over long-off for a similar result.
Tanzid was racing towards a big score, hammering Lennox for his fourth six in the 23rd over. But the left-arm spinner had the last laugh the very next ball as Tanzid top-edged a hoick across the line for Henry Nicholls to take a steepling catch tracking back at cover. It ended a 120-run third wicket stand.
Litton Das, playing his 100th ODI, couldn’t add much to the total, when Lennox had him caught off a slog in his next over. Shanto hobbled off the field after completing his fifty due to cramps.
Towhid Hridoy and Mehidy Hasan Miraz added 32 to complete the chase. Hridoy made an unbeaten 30 off 31 balls with five fours, while Mehidy struck the winning run in the 36th over.
Rana had earlier dominated the New Zealand batting line-up whenever captain Mehidy handed him the ball. He took the first two wickets: Henry Nicholls, New Zealand’s top scorer from the first game, trapped lbw, before a 146kph bouncer got Will Young. Rana got the ball to rear into the No 3 batter, who could only guide it to gully where Soumya took an easy catch.
Nick Kelly found Muhammad Abbas as a willing ally, as the pair rebuild the New Zealand innings in the middle overs. Abbas broke the boundary drought of 33 balls, when he edged Soumya to deep third in the 20th over. Kelly struck another bookended the over with another four before driving Mehidy Hasan Miraz through cover in the following over.
Kelly then laid into Taskin Ahmed, driving him down the ground and clipping him over midwicket among his three fours in the 25th over. Kelly soon reached his fifty in the 27th over, before Rana, brought back into the attack, removed Abbas. Wicketkeeper Litton ran quite a distance towards fine-leg, where he dived to complete a brilliant catch. Litton had earlier taken a fine tumbling catch to remove Tom Latham, the New Zealand captain, off Soumya’s bowling
Kelly started to apply himself as a more aggressive batter. He moved a lot around the crease, even getting hit on his visor when he tried to hook Shoriful Islam’s length ball in the 35th over. He fell to the same bowler in his next over, caught at midwicket for 83.
Bangladesh’s fielders contributed to their good showing. Towhid Hridoy took three catches including a superb effort at long-on to end the New Zealand innings.
Rana added two more to his kitty in the death overs, removing Dean Foxcroft for 15, before yorking Jayden Lennox for a duck. Rana’s five wickets apart, Shoriful Islam took two wickets while Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Soumya took a wicket each.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 199 for 4 in 35.3 overs (Tanzid Hasan 76, Najmul Hossain Shanto 50 retd, Towhid Hridoy 30*; Jayden Lennox 2-36) beat New Zealand 198 in 48.4 overs (Nick Kelly 83; Nahid Rana 5-32, Shoriful Islam 2-32) by six wickets
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