England and Afghanistan have found themselves in a rabbit hole ahead of their Group B clash in the Champions Trophy on Wednesday, February 26. On Tuesday, Rawalpindi witnessed its first washout of the tournament, with not a single ball bowled in the match between Steve Smith’s Australia and Temba Bavuma’s South Africa.
With the Aussies and Proteas now at three points each, they remain favourites to advance to the semi-finals from Group B. Following Wednesday’s abandoned clash, England and Afghanistan find themselves in deep trouble, as the loser will crash out of the tournament. However, if rain prevents play, both teams will still have a slim chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Lahore’s weather on Wednesday isn’t overly bad, but there is a slight chance of rain, with persistent cloud cover keeping the groundstaff on their toes. There’s even a scenario where all four teams could end up with three points each at the end of the group stage.
Can Afghanistan Repeat Their 2023 Heroics?
Hashmatullah Shahidi’s Afghanistan entered the Champions Trophy as dark horses. After defeating the Proteas last year in a bilateral series in Sharjah, they were expected to perform strongly at Karachi’s National Stadium. However, a 107-run loss left them at the bottom of the table with a net run rate of -2.140.
Despite this setback, Afghanistan still has a decent chance to turn things around. Shahidi’s men can draw inspiration from their stunning 69-run victory over England in the 2023 World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Back then, Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed 80 runs, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan picked up three wickets each.
During the ODI World Cup, Afghanistan defeated England after recovering from back-to-back losses to Bangladesh and India. Skipper Shahidi believes his team can repeat that feat against the Three Lions but acknowledges that England won’t be an easy opponent.
“I think we all know that England is one of the best teams, so it’s a tough challenge for us. But we are ready for any challenge, and we worked hard to reach this level. We will take confidence from what happened in the 2023 World Cup, but at the same time, tomorrow is a new day, and we will try our best to beat them again,” Shahidi said in the pre-match press conference.
England Under Pressure
England, meanwhile, have struggled in recent matches. After a 0-3 series loss to India on Indian soil, Jos Buttler’s men suffered a five-wicket defeat to Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Ben Duckett registered the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history with a stunning 165, guiding England to 315 for eight.
However, Josh Inglis’ unbeaten 120 off 86 balls—featuring eight fours and six sixes—powered Australia to the highest successful run chase in ICC ODI tournament history. England’s pace trio of Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Brydon Carse conceded runs at an alarming rate. To make matters worse, Carse has been ruled out due to a recurring left toe issue, with Rehan Ahmed replacing him in the squad.
Having lost four consecutive matches, England are in poor form, giving Afghanistan a real opportunity to capitalise. Shahidi’s men have never reached the semi-finals of an ICC ODI event, but this is their chance to make history. India Today