ENG vs AFG: On Wednesday, February 26, the England cricket team, led by Jos Buttler, played against the Afghanistan cricket team, led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, in the 8th match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
ENG vs AFG: ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Showdown
The England cricket team suffered a surprising 8-run defeat to Afghanistan and was eliminated from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
England bowled first and allowed Afghanistan to score 325/7. While chasing the target, England was bowled out for 317 in 49.5 overs, despite Joe Root’s century.
Jos Buttler’s Disappointment and Praise for Joe Root
After the match, Jos Buttler shared his disappointment about England’s performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Further, Buttler lauded Joe Root for his unbelievable innings that went in vain. Buttler said:
“Disappointing to be knocked out of the tournament early. We had our chances in the game and we didn’t take them.
“Root played an unbelievable innings and we needed one of the top six batters to stay with him. The last 10 overs got away from us a bit. Credit to Ibrahim, he played a fantastic innings. 113 off the last 10 pushed them up to a very good score on that pitch.”
Jos Buttler also mentioned that the injuries to Mark Wood and Liam Livingstone made it harder for them with the ball. However, he praised both players for giving their best on the field. He said:
“Unfortunately in his 4th over he (Wood) felt his knee, credit to him for bowling through the pain and showing a lot of character. It was difficult (in the death overs with Wood injured and Root bowling the 47th over), Livi was also off the field but credit to him for coming back. He (Root) has been a brilliant player in all formats and showed us the way to handle the pressure. His ODI record is fantastic.”
Injuries to Mark Wood and Liam Livingstone Affect England’s Bowling
In the end, Michael Atherton asked Jos Buttler about the reasons behind his struggles and his future as captain. In response, Jos Buttler suggested that he might step down as skipper. He said:
“If I knew I wouldn’t be playing the way I am (referring to his bad form), being one of the best players in the world it is disappointing when you don’t perform. I don’t want to say any emotional statements right now, but I think for myself and the guys at the top, we should consider all possibilities.”
Afghanistan and England played their first ODI against each other in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. The match was interrupted by rain, and England was set a revised target of 101 runs. They chased it down comfortably with 9 wickets in hand.
Afghanistan batted first and scored 111/7 in 36.2 overs, with Nasir Jamal (17), Mohammad Nabi (16), and Shafiqullah (30) being the top scorers. England’s bowlers, including Chris Jordan (2/13), did well.
In response, Ian Bell’s unbeaten 52 and Alex Hales’ 37 helped England reach 101/1 in 18.1 overs, winning easily.
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